Back in the truck, Tobias Christopher was sitting next to Kristogar Velo. "We’re all waiting for you to give the word, you know..."
"Don’t. I won’t give it."
"I don’t understand why not. Why did you just agree to be executed?"
"I’ve got a hunch. I’ll explain it later."
"Why not right now? We’ve got time."
"I wouldn’t want to offend our hosts," Kristogar kept ducking the question. Tobias sighed, but before he could press further the truck stopped. The team was led out, and found themselves before a building, about six stories high. They noticed that it was almost morning.
"This isn’t a prison, is it?" Sam asked.
Nemo simply said "No," as he led everyone inside. There was an elevator on the first floor, but Nemo simply walked by it and led the way up a flight of stairs. Everybody was quietly, and awkwardly, bantering with one another about nothing and anything in particular.
Kristogar took this opportunity to talk to Naecken. "Listen:
I need to thank you for holding back as you have. I know how much you can do..." He trailed off without finishing the thought.
Naecken replied in a strangely simple manner. "I do not understand your actions, but you gave the order." Kristogar was getting more and more concerned about the team--they were inexperienced, unfocused and impatient, relying only on their fight-or-flight mechanism. He didn’t mean to, but he temporarily assumed leadership when they stepped off the train. And now, if his hunch was right, they were about to enter negotiations with a man who could talk circles around them. He’d have to step in again.
Finally, they made the top floor. They continued until they got into a room that no soldiers except Nemo were allowed in.
"That’s strange," Sonja said.
"Why’n that?" Pete asked, in his unique way.
"They’re letting us have the numbers advantage in here," Sonja explained.
"We already had an advantage, with our powers--it doesn’t make much difference," Mxy pointed out.
"So why did we surrender again?" Tobias asked Velo before they entered an inner office, with only one desk with a man sitting behind it. Nemo walked over to his side without saying a word, and faced the team with a scowl on his face.
"Hello, ‘Revolutionaries’," the man behind the desk greeted. He noticed the cat that was among the group members, narrowed his eye and looked to Nemo, perhaps expecting an answer. Nemo didn’t give him one, so the man continued. "I’m General D’goon, the dictator of Mandelovia."
"The guy who ordered our execution," Tobias added, crossing his arms.
"Hm, yes. Of course, that order will be lifted if you agree to do something for me. That is, leave the country, and never come back. A plane is coming in very soon, and if you’d let it, it will take you to an island in the Carribean called La Perdita. I figured you’d appreciate that, since it’s a society open toward metahumans. Whatever you do from there is your own business, as long as you don’t come back here."
"Why capture us just to release us?" Kristogar inquired.
"I wanted to show you what is at my disposal," D’goon answered. "And believe me, there’s plenty more where all of that came from. I wanted you to see what I could do to you if you decide to reject my generosity."
"Uh huh. And we should agree to not to kick your ass now because...?" LLance retorted.
"Why aren’t we doing this in the Palace?" Kristogar asks abruptly.
"Because you might have found that atmosphere hostile. I wanted this to be a friendly little...chat." D’goon turned back to LLance. "You think I got to this position without
friends in high places? Pay attention who you’re talking to, whelp. And remember that you don’t want to cause any incident, lest you get an international price on your head."
Kristogar speaks up again. "Why would you do this for us?"
D’goon sighed. "Because, I also have some...non-friends, let’s say, in high places. I do this favor for you, you owe me one. In case I need some assistance, you provide it. If you don’t, well, I can always just kill you." D’goon smiled at his last remark. "The choice is yours, Velo."
Kristogar shook his head. "No, General. Our group is not a dictatorship. Give us time to discuss."
D’goon sighed again. He and Nemo exchanged a glance, then the General turned his attention back to the team. "We’ll give you five minutes." He got up and walked out. Gutsy, to say the least, to leave the team alone. They were quiet for a moment, wondering who should be the first to speak up.
"So, uh...what are we gonna do?" Sam asked.
"We give our opinions and decide what to do," Kristogar stated, not really helping matters any. "We should accept the offer. If we ever need to, we can always strike him down later."
"So why delay the inevitable?" Danny asked.
"I agree," Tobias began. "We should just take him to the fucking cleaners and get out of here."
"And then it all begins again--the running, the fighting, maybe we’ll be captured again and be killed this time. Our luck can’t last forever. Trust me, this is the best option," Kristogar said. "Why delay the inevitable?" He thought for a moment. "If it is inevitable that we must fight D’goon, and Nemo...we’re not ready for it now. We may be later. Perhaps being an ally, even for only this one agreement..."
"I don’t think we should indebt ourselves to a fascist bastard," Sonja replied.
"Hm. Naecken? Mxy? You’re the most powerful ones here, what do you think?" Kristogar was acting as sort of a mediary.
"I do not think we should leave," Naecken said. "There is much that needs to be done here. But I do trust you, Velo. I have seen greatness in you before."
"Um. Mxy?"
"Why don’t I just teleport us out of here?" Mxy wondered. "I could get us to La Perdita, or anywhere else."
"You sure you have the energy for that? You seem pretty tired," Kristogar observed.
"Maybe I am," Mxy admitted. "But I also think we should consider what we’re doing. Putting ourselves in the services of a dictator?"
"I don’t care what we decide, I’m not doing any service for D’goon," Sonja muttered.
"I have taken into consideration every possible outcome of our situation. Trust me, people, when I say that this is the best way out. Trust me," Kristogar said. Another moment of hesitation.
"Dammit," Danny said. "Okay, Velo, I trust you. Let’s get out of here."
"Can I put in a vote?" Shirley asked.
"Sure, we are being democratic here," Kristogar told her.
"I just want this to all end. I want to actually sleep in a bed somewhere. Let’s just get the hell out of here."
Mxy seemed to soften at Shirley’s words. "Alright, count me in."
"I think we can take them," Sam said. "We should just kill D’goon and the guy with the hook."
"I don’t know," LLance said, trying to think. "It seems easiest to...let’s take the first plane out."
"Pete, you’re unusually quiet," Kristogar remarked. "Anything to add?"
"Shite, I dinnow," Pete said. He considered for a moment. "This’s...no mer fightin’. Les’ go."
"If you guys really think we should, I’ll agree," Sam joined the conversation again.
"I still hate the idea...," Tobias added. "But first, Velo, why did we surrender? I mean, if there was an execution order--"
"The order was lifted long ago," Kristogar quickly replied. "Otherwise, why were the
machines deactivated when we first saw Nemo? Otherwise, why would Nemo try to capture us, just to kill us later?" The logic set in.
"Well, you could’ve just said that," Tobias said.
"Even so," Danny started. "We could’ve just fought the other soldiers. They didn’t have anything to take us out."
"You didn’t notice, then, that twenty-six of the ‘soldiers’ were roaming around unarmed?" Kristogar asked.
"So?"
"That may not mean much to you, but--" D’goon and Nemo re-entered the room.
"What is your decision?" D’goon asked intently, already prepared for the answer.
"We’re accepting your offer," Kristogar stated, before turning to the rest of the group. "Any of you can back out any time," he said to them, testing and almost daring them. Nobody spoke up.
D’goon breathed a sigh of relief. "I’m glad you see things my way--"
"We don’t," Sonja interjected.
D’goon continued. "--and remember that you owe me one."
The plane arrived less than one hour later.
