"So, let me get this straight." Noa leaned back in his chair, studying the two men seated across from him. "You want me to train an elite military unit... one thousand soldiers."
"One thousand and twenty-four, to be exact," Mr. Strauss corrected with a polite smile. The man had introduced himself as a representative of the federal government shortly after arriving at the Hathaway residence. "They are far from ordinary recruits. Every one of them has already been selected from the best personnel across the Armed Forces. We intend to deploy them to strategic military installations around the world once their training is complete."
"I see." Noa glanced at his mother, who was seated beside him, before turning his attention back to Mr. Strauss. "Would you mind giving us a moment? This is something I'd like to discuss with my mother first."
"Of course," Strauss replied without hesitation. He rose from his seat, gestured for his aide to follow, and the two men quietly stepped outside, leaving the Hathaways alone in the living room.
"What should I do? School is obviously not an option anymore."
Michelle looked back at him, her expression making it abundantly clear that she was just as uncertain as he was. She let out a small laugh and shrugged. "You're asking the wrong person, sweetheart. It's your decision. Besides, they did say they'd be willing to give you almost anything within reason if you accepted."
Noa sighed dramatically and slumped back into the couch. "Aren't moms supposed to be all-wise and all-knowing?"
Michelle couldn't help but laugh. "Only until our children start getting recruited by the government to train elite soldiers. That's well outside the parenting handbook."
"Well," Noa began, a mischievous grin slowly spreading across his face, "if they want me to train over a thousand elite soldiers, and considering the size of the country's military budget... I think it's only fair that I ask for a few things in return, don't you?"
Michelle recognized that smile immediately.
It was the same smile he wore whenever he spotted an opportunity too good to pass up.
"Oh no," she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I know that look."
"What look?"
"The one that usually costs somebody a ridiculous amount of money."
Noa's grin only widened.
Michelle sighed in defeat. "Sometimes I genuinely wonder where this greedy side of you came from."
"Definitely not from Dad," Noa replied with a perfectly innocent smile.
Before Michelle could throw a cushion at him, Noa stood and walked to the front door, opening it for the two government officials waiting outside.
"You can come back in now," he called. "I think we're ready to negotiate."
"Happy to hear that." Strauss returned to his seat and pulled a small notebook from the inside pocket of his suit. Flipping it open, he clicked his pen and looked up at Noa. "Now, let me tell you something, you don't need to hold back. As long as your requests are reasonable, I'll do everything in my power to make them happen."
"First, money," Noa said without a hint of embarrassment. "And I mean a lot of it. Enough that my family won't have to worry about it for generations."
Strauss didn't even flinch. Instead, he calmly jotted a note into his notebook before looking up.
"How much are we talking about, Mr. Hathaway?"
"I don't know," Noa replied with a shrug. "You're the one representing the government. Tell me what you think my time and expertise are worth."
Strauss thought for a moment before answering. "I can authorize a one-time payment of four million dollars, transferred immediately upon signing the agreement."
Noa frowned. "Four? I was thinking more along the lines of seven."
Strauss chuckled. "Mr. Hathaway, if I approved seven million, I'd be explaining myself to half of Washington by tomorrow morning."
"Six and a half."
"I'm afraid not."
Noa leaned back in his chair, pretending to weigh the offer. "Six."
Strauss held his gaze for several seconds before extending his hand. "Six million dollars. A one-time payment, wired to your account the moment the contract is signed."
Noa smiled and shook his hand. "Now we're talking."
"Now, onto my second condition." Noa leaned back in his chair. "I'll need a dedicated training facility. If I'm going to train over a thousand elite soldiers, I expect a place worthy of the task. And when this contract is over, I want that facility to remain mine for training my own students."
Strauss smiled knowingly. "Mr. Hathaway, I believe you'll be pleased to hear that we've already anticipated that request."
Noa raised an eyebrow.
"I'd rather not spoil the surprise," Strauss replied. "Assuming we reach an agreement today, I'll take you there personally after the contract is signed. Consider it... one of the government's incentives."
The confidence in Strauss's voice was enough to pique Noa's curiosity. Whatever the government had prepared, the man sounded certain it would exceed his expectations. "Now you've got me interested," Noa admitted.
"There is one more thing," Noa said after a moment's thought. "I'd like a house. Preferably, a large estate close to the training facility."
Strauss exchanged a glance with his aide before a smile spread across his face. "Mr. Hathaway... I'm beginning to think someone leaked our proposal to you."
Noa frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The residence is already under construction. It's located less than a mile from the training complex and has been designed with your specifications in mind, or at least what we believed they would be." Strauss folded his hands together. "Once we visit the facility, it'll be the next stop."
For the first time since the meeting began, Noa was genuinely speechless. He blinked twice before an uncontrollable grin spread across his face. "You're telling me... you've already built me a mansion?"
"Let's just say we were confident you'd accept."
Noa turned toward his mother, who merely smiled and shook her head at the expression on her son's face. Without another second of hesitation, he looked back at Strauss and held out his hand.
"Where do I sign?"
Strauss chuckled before nodding to his aide. "David, would you be so kind as to retrieve the contract from the car?"
"Right away, sir."
As the aide stepped outside, Strauss leaned back comfortably in his chair. "It'll only take a moment." Michelle excused herself to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later carrying a tray with a freshly brewed pot of tea and a plate of biscuits. The atmosphere, which had begun as a tense negotiation, had somehow transformed into a casual afternoon gathering as they chatted over tea while waiting for the paperwork to arrive.
A few minutes later, David returned carrying a thick leather folder and placed it on the coffee table in front of Noa. Strauss slid the contract across to him. "Take your time," he said. "Read every page. If there's anything you don't understand or disagree with, we'll discuss it."
Noa gave a small nod and began reading. Page after page, he expected to find hidden clauses, vague wording, or legal loopholes that favored the government. Instead, the agreement was surprisingly straightforward. It clearly outlined his responsibilities, the government's obligations, ownership of the training facility after the program, the immediate six-million-dollar payment upon signing, and every benefit they had discussed. There were no tricks buried in the fine print, no misleading language, and no unexpected conditions.
The only clause that gave him pause was the penalty for a material breach of contract. If he willfully failed to fulfill his obligations without legal justification, he would be required to repay the government with a seven-million-dollar penalty and could face criminal prosecution for violating the agreement. It was a harsh consequence, but considering the scale of the project and the resources being invested, Noa couldn't honestly say it was unreasonable.
He read the entire contract a second time, slower than before, scrutinizing every paragraph. Once again, he found nothing that raised any concerns. Satisfied, he picked up the pen, signed his name on the final page, and slid the contract back across the table. Strauss smiled as he accepted it and extended his hand. "Congratulations, Mr. Hathaway. We have an agreement."
*******
The moment the front door closed behind them, Strauss's warm smile vanished. As he and David made their way toward the waiting sedan, he retrieved a secure phone from his pocket and placed a call.
"He agreed, ma'am," Strauss reported. "The contract has been signed."
He listened quietly for a few moments before replying, "Yes, ma'am. He didn't suspect a thing."
With that, he ended the call and slipped the phone back into his jacket.
David had remained silent the entire walk to the car, but the moment the doors shut, he could no longer contain his curiosity. "Sir... I don't understand. I thought we were recruiting him to train Apex."
Strauss buckled his seatbelt and nodded. "We are. Apex still needs an instructor, and there's no one better suited for the job than Noa Hathaway."
"Then... what was that conversation about him not suspecting anything?"
Strauss looked out the window as the car pulled away from the curb. "Because training Apex isn't the only reason we recruited him." His voice grew noticeably quieter. "Tell me, David... have you ever wondered how an eighteen-year-old becomes a world champion in virtually every major martial art? We certainly did."
David frowned but remained silent.
"About six months ago, we arranged a field evaluation." Strauss continued matter-of-factly. "Thirteen operatives were assigned to ambush Hathaway while he was walking home. Their orders were simple: engage him, push him to respond, and record everything."
"And what happened?"
"They never stood a chance." Strauss answered without emotion. "Every one of them was unconscious within seconds. Not a single operative landed a clean hit." He paused briefly before continuing. "The report eventually reached a group of military physicians and human performance researchers. Their conclusion was unanimous. Hathaway's body doesn't perform like that of an ordinary human."
David slowly leaned back in his seat as the implications settled in.
"So yes, Apex needed a martial arts trainer," Strauss said. "The program has been running for years, taking orphaned children with exceptional potential from conflict zones and allied nations, raising them, educating them, and forging them into the finest operators the country has ever produced. Noa Hathaway will train them." He glanced toward David, a faint smile forming on his face. "And while he does... our scientists will finally have the opportunity to study the most extraordinary human we've ever encountered."
******
Noa stood by the living room window, watching as Strauss and David walked toward their sedan. His eyes lingered on Strauss as the man pulled out his phone and made a brief call. Even from a distance, Noa caught the shift in David's expression from confusion to outright shock after the call ended. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Hmm..." he murmured to himself. "I knew I should've kept a lower profile instead of showing the whole world what I could do."
"Noa! Dinner's ready, sweetheart!" Michelle called from the dining room.
"Coming, Ma!" he replied, tearing his gaze away from the window. As he headed toward the dining room, he let out a quiet chuckle. "Well... that's a problem for future me."