A Chat with a Mercenary

Natsu was deep in thought while heading to the meeting point. He wasn't having philosophical thoughts like usually, his mind was set on one major question. How do I handle the situation at best with Thomas Hopper... he is an asset to the Superhumans without a doubt, his career as a mercenary has probably allowed him to get many contacts and sources of information all around the world, also about the more shady dealings that are too classified to ever be known by public... but we cannot allow a Superhuman to go rogue he thought while rushing. He had set up a meeting with Thomas, without mentioning the topic of the conversation, merely stating that it was important. He was sure that Thomas had a good idea about the agenda though, but it was best to keep it as civilized as possible. If we're discovered it won't be long before we'll be procecuted like in the days of the Salem Witch Hunts. And our existance being exposed could possibly even mean the discovery of the Quincies! While we don't have much contact as far as I know, we are still connected, not only as being spiritual human beings, but we also once worked together! he continued in his mind as he made his way through the city.

Well, here we are, good old Big Ben. The Big Smoke just wouldn't be the same without it he thought as he checked carefully if anyone could see him before sneaking in and began his ascend the old clocktower.

Thomas, or Tommy as he preferred to be called, was walking through the crowds crossing the Thames to reach Big Ben. He kept a wary lookout, glancing out of the corners of his eyes to watch for anyone tailing him, either on foot or in a vehicle. He finally came to the pedestrian area surrounding Big Ben, looking up at the huge clocktower that was a popular tourist site of London.

Natsu told me to meet him here, but did he mean outside or inside the tower? Although the Overseer had not discussed the topic of the meeting, Tommy had a fairly good idea about what they would talk about. For a while now he had been going against his deal with the Superhumans, taking up mercenary jobs behind their backs. Recently he had assassinated a high-level politician from the Middle East, and while the job had landed him a lot of money, the region erupted with the man's death, especially when the politician's death was connected to several others by Tommy's doing. Now the "terrorist" (Tommy smirked when he heard the news reporters refer to him as that) had gained global attention, and the Overseers were sure to add 2 and 2 together.

Now, Tommy wasn't sure what to do. He was also pretty sure that the Overseers wouldn't have decided anything. They know what I did when they signed me up, and they know what would happen if I'm let off the leash. The pay was certainly enticing: the Overseers were able to pay him tremendously, especially since some of them were incredibly wealthy themselves. For the moment, I'll just have this little chat with Natsu and see what happens. Tommy swept his eyes over the crowd around Big Ben, not seeing Natsu. I'll check inside then. With that, Tommy walked into the clocktower and began to climb the steps.

While making his way up to the top Natsu stayed deep in thoughts. I can't help but wonder what made him go against the agreement was what came up the most. He never did approve of the conditions that were made when Thomas joined, but he accepted the fact and knew that it was the best way to at the very least lessen the casualties compared to letting someone with powers and a personality like that walk around as he pleased. Was it bloodlust that made him do those things? Was the payment that much better? he continued as he silently moved higher up.

Finally reaching the very top he found a good place to sit down and wait. If nothing else we won't be disturbed up here... should I have contacted the other, more experienced Overseers on the matter? ... no, this is my area, and my mess to clean up. I guess I should blame myself for not keeping a better eye on him... At the very least, I should try to resolve this myself before contacting the others, I just hope this conversation will resolve everything... he thought as he waited for Thomas to appear.

Tommy could already sense Natsu's reiatsu flowing from above him. Though Tommy wasn't really good at that sort of thing, it was hard to miss a reiatsu as strong as Fuuga's from a close distance. At least some of the Overseers have actual power to back up their bark. Not like those other superhumans who think they own the world.

Tommy climbed up the clocktower, looking at the people walking past him out of the corner of his eye. It looked like the crowds were beginning to lessen, which is good depending what one is doing. For Tommy, it meant that it was more likely that someone could survey him, though that didn't matter much in an enclosed space such as Big Ben. He climbed up to the top to come upon Natsu, sitting down and waiting for him.

"Hello, Overseer Fuuga," Tommy said with a little bow, smiling a bit as he emphasized the word 'Overseer.' "So, what is this meeting about?"

Natsu smiled gently at Thomas when he arrived. He got back up on his feet and walked up to the General, extending his arm as to give a firm handshake. "Happy you had time to come at such short notice, Tommy" he said. I'll see how well we can work this out here, at least for now... please let me be able to end this here without a fight he thought, though he didn't let it show in any way.

"The main reason why I called you here is to ask how it is working out between us" he stated. It wasn't a lie, he did want to know more than anything if the reason for Thomas working behind the backs of the organization was a feeling of distrust. There's a chance he'll bring up his work himself. Better to let him open up as much as he prefers to start with, then go from there. Natsu had no intention of trying to force anything out of Thomas if it could be avoided.

Tommy accepted Natsu's handshake, extending his hand and shaking Natsu's hand. "Good to see you too, Overseer Fuuga" Tommy was staring straight into Natsu's hands, and the other superhuman seemed to be doing the same thing. He's wary of me, though he's doing a good job of keeping it subtle.

Tommy was taken a by surprise a bit by Fuuga's question. I expected him to just be direct and talk about what I've been doing. Does he want me to bring the topic up myself? Or does this have anything at all to do with it? A hard one to read, this one. Tommy decided to delay that part of the conversation just a little longer, if that was what this conversation was about. "Well, I think we get along fairly well. We don't hate each other, at least I don't particularly hate you, and we tend to mind our own business. Why? Was there anything in particular you wanted to discuss?"

Is he just dragging it out to think of an excuse, to think of a person who could have done those hits with a technique similar to his own? Hasn't he realized what this meeting is about? Or does he just want me to be the one to say it? Either way, I'll have to tread carefully... he's not a General without reason, and his ability to notice even subtle changes isn't to be underestimated either Natsu thought, still smiling with a gentle look in his eyes.

"I'm happy to hear that Tommy. You see, there have been rumors going around in the underground... I suppose you've heard the news of the terrorist who killed a politician?". He wanted to see the mans expression, so he decided it best to for now feign a certain amount of ignorance as to who the assailant was.

Ahh, so now he broaches it, but with subtlety. Nice. Tommy thought for a moment, remembering how he had performed that assassination. It had been perfect: using his explosive bugs, he had blown the politician to pieces with a whole crowd looking on with shock. Sure, there had been some collateral damage, but what did he care?...But I'm getting sidetracked. Tommy turned back to Fuuga, having given away the slightest of smirks.

"Well of course I heard about it. That guy was one of the top officials in Jordan, basically the right-hand man to the Jordanian King himself. BBC was having a field day with that story for a week." Tommy crossed his arms, looking out of one of the openings in the walls to look out over London and glancing at Fuuga to the side. "But again, why talk about that? We hardly get together just to talk about yet another story about death and suffering in the world."

So that's it... your smile gave you away Thomas thought Natsu as he noticed the smirk - it was barely noticable, and at any other time he would've given it no thought. He's already concidering how to escape in case I were to attack him... thankfully he isn't dumb, nor desperate enough to attack. Damaging Big Ben would without a doubt attract much more attention than he'd want. Natsu grabbed the pendant around his neck and got a sad expression in his face.

"From the looks of it, it was a Superhuman who did it... and no regular Superhuman could have pulled it off." Natsu sighed heavily At least he'll probably try to convince me it was someone else, or try to make me wonder who else could have done such a deed.... "To top it off, as you may have heard, Interpol has linked the style of assassination to a long line of other hits" he said, then awating a response from the General.

Hmmph. Tommy had been distracted by his memory of the assassination, and from the brief gleam from Fuuga's eyes, Tommy knew that he had given himself away. Dang, and I wanted to play this mind game a little more. Guess it's time to take the offensive. Tommy turned away from the window to face Fuuga. "Look, we might as well drop the charades. I know where you are going with this, and you know what I've done. But because you did not bring this up right away, it makes me feel that you are not here to cause any sort of conflict." Hopefully, Tommy's directness would throw Fuuga off guard a bit and help Tommy even out the mental battle between the two superhumans. Now, let's see what you want to do now.

"So you don't deny it I see... I'm happy you spared me the trouble of forcing it out of you" Natsu said with a sad smile. Still hoping to throw me off guard it seems... I guess it'd be best to play along for now he thought. "You're right, I'd rather this ends peacefully... and I want to know what made you go behind our backs. I want you to know that we... or at least I do appreciate your abilities, you're a great asset to us. But you must also know that there are consequences to any action you take" he said softly, his eyes showing a deep sadness.

Tommy sometimes wondered himself why a couple of years ago he decided to go against his deal with the superhuman organization. Mainly it's because I was bored with killing hollow after hollow. Just doesn't give the satisfaction that killing people does. Moreover, Tommy hated being on a leash and having his movements and actions restricted; he wanted to be free, doing whatever he wanted without anything preventing him from doing so. However, Tommy was treading in treacherous waters, and he knew it. If they had any idea about that, they would really be alarmed and consider me to be a huge threat. I don't want to sever my ties with the organization quite yet. Tommy decided to tell a little lie.

"Well, to be truthful, I needed a break; killing hollow after hollow for years got monotonous for me. But..." Tommy shuffled his feet a little with his hands behind his back, giving the impression that he was a bit sorry about the whole incident. "I am willing to stop that line of work, if that is the wish of the Overseers. But those jobs did provide me a bit more income," he added, dropping a little hint for Fuuga to pick up.

For some reason I have a hard time believing that Thomas... but I'll play along... for now at least. Who knows, he might be serious about it. On the other hand, I think it better to discuss it with other Overseers... at least now that I have confirmed that he's the one behind the assassinations... Natsu thought, tilting his head to the side and looking carefully at the General. He also noted the little side remark at the end. If I remember right, there are currently two Overseers in the area of Karakura... it's quite a trip, but getting more opinions in this matter would probably be my best step... also, I remember there being an attack by some rather strong Hollows there. It would most likely be a good idea to check it out myself he continued in his mind, and came to a conclusion.

"I'll let this slide for now... there is movement elsewhere that requires attention. However, I hope you do understand you've betrayed my trust, so I will have to see how sincere you are myself" said Natsu, with a gentle voice. "I want you to travel with me to Karakura Town. Recently there was an attack there, with a few Menos level Hollows. I wish to investigate this further, and I believe it best to do so with my own eyes."

Natsu paused for a moment before continuing "But, as a mercenary, I am aware that it is in your nature not to do something without your client making it worthwhile. So I will transfer a minor bonus to you as payment to accompany me." Natsu was sure Thomas understood that he couldn't recieve too great a bonus. "We will be leaving as soon as possible. Does this sound acceptable?" he asked.

Well, it seems that I have bought some more time. And I guess a Menos-level hollow would be something new to kill for a change... Tommy nodded his head. "OK Overseer Fuuga, that sounds fine. But there is one little problem. We can't exactly take off from Heathrow because of my...newly-found popularity. Why don't we take one of the organization's private jets (funded by those snobby millionaires, he forgot to mention) and fly over to Karakura?"

"That's what I thought best as well" Natsu said with a smile. "Also, it's much faster than going through the hassle of getting a ticket..." he sighed. I'll try to contact Levi-sempai, since the Overseer of Karakura is somewhat... unique he thought to himself.

"I will make preparations while you sort out whatever is needed. Gather everything you wish to take with you as fast as possible, but remember, there is a big difference between acting quickly and rushing" he noted. I'll have to remember to say goodbye to Sensei as well... I hope he can handle the shop without me while I'm away. Oh right, while I'm at it I'd better bring along my scissors and all that... Levi-sempai isn't exactly known for taking care of his hair.

"I think it best we leave one at a time, that would lessen the chance of unwanted attention. Make sure to contact me when you're ready to leave" he added. "We'll meet again at the jet once we're ready to go".

"Fine, that works for me." Tommy smiled slightly. It'll be interesting when he and Overseer Levi meet. Tommy knew enough about Fuuga and Levi to know that they clashed over Levi's hairstyle, and whenever they met sparks would fly. Other than that, they seemed to get along.

Tommy was mostly glad that he had gotten off light for the moment. But he knew that his connection with the superhuman organization was not going to last much longer. He was getting antsy, and if it wasn't the incident with the Jordanian politician, then some other killing would terminate his deal. Perhaps the flight to Japan would give him some time to think about his options.

"If you wish, you can leave the tower first. I'll follow a few minutes after that."

"I'll be looking forward to the next time we meet then, Tommy." Natsu began moving towards the steps leading down, then turned around and added "Oh, and Tommy... try to stay out of trouble for now, please?" with a flash of melancholy in his eyes, turned again and began going down the steps.

I hope this will solve everything... he thought before letting his mind wander again as he left the square to walk home.

Thomas watched Fuuga leave the tower as the Overseer walked across the plaza, eventually disappearing from sight. He sighed a little and leaned against the wall, his eyes half-shut. What do I want? Do I want the money, which the Overseers offer a lot more than almost any mercenary job I can find, or do I just do what I want to and be free? Well, he corrected himself, it's not what I WANT. I already know that. The question is when would it be the best time to do it? Definitely not know. Probably soon after this trip to Japan.

...As he walked back across the Thames again, he observed a woman crossing the opposite way. As their eyes met, he smiled at her. But perhaps a little bit of his bloodlust seeped out, because at that point the woman shuddered and veered to the opposite side of the bridge, glancing at him warily. Thomas shrugged and continued walking. Walking into the darkness, into the unknown...and he preferred it that way.

[END OF TOPIC]