Chapter Three: Moving

It took several hours to cover all of Solomon's tasks to the three agents. Solomon still intended to do as many of his duties from afar as he could, but in case he would be unable to in the Lunis household, he wanted the agency to be prepared. He had never really thought about all he did in G3, yet as he listed off his tasks, he realized that they were numerous, and many quite important. Even if a single candidate had reached Solomon's ideal standards for leadership, he was rather glad he had picked three agents to carry the weight together.

The agents spoke among themselves as to how to handle the responsibilities from time to time. Once and a while one volunteered to take responsibility for a task all on their own, and the other two did not object. Other times there was a bit of a dispute over who should be accountable for a job, and Solomon had to settle it by saying they would handle it together.

His superior made no comment for the rest of the meeting, though Solomon didn't expect him to. He was rather surprised the man had made any input at all, and was rather curious what he would say when Solomon eventually went to see him.

Finally, Solomon thought he had covered all he had wanted to start with. After arranging for a time to meet the next day, he dismissed the agents, again reminding them that their new positions would be announced publicly in a few hours.

That didn't give Solomon much time to form an address, but before he could do that, he had to go see his superior. As he walked down the increasingly darkening halls, it dawned on him that, though the three agents now knew of his superior's presence, they had no idea where he dwelled. That information still remained solely with Solomon.

Solomon climbed down the ladder and began to head down the final hallway. All in all, he believed the meeting had gone well, yet he could not deny that there had been a few problems. The three, though each immensely talented in their own ways, clashed quite easily.

Solomon's thoughts were cut off as he reached the final door. It slid open for him, and he strode inside, stopping at his usual distance.

"Sir," he greeted. "It appears you approve of the candidates?"

His superior was watching three holo-screens at once. Though all of them were backwards to Solomon, he could see the forms of Doctor Genn, Agent Rudish, and Agent Andrews on them, attending to their duties real-time.

"They are good choices, Solomon," his superior rasped. "Each of them has a different voice…a vitalvoice. But if they cannot put aside their differences…it will all be for naught."

"Do you intend to guide them, sir?" Solomon pressed. When G3 had first began, his superior had brought Solomon in under his wing. Every one of Solomon's actions back then had either been directly instructed by his superior or at least approved by the man. But one day, his superior had merely stepped back and let Solomon take control. Since then, the man's orders, though absolute, were few, and now Solomon called most of the agency's shots. That wasn't to say that the man didn't still have an effect. Things would certainly be differenton G3 without his superior's presence—Solomon would not have spent nearly so long only watching the Lunises, for one—yet Solomon still controlled most of what was done. Not because his superior didn't have the power to, but because he allowedSolomon to. Would Solomon's candidates have his superior's direction, or work more on their own?

"…No," his superior said finally. "I cannot."

Solomon tilted his head. "'Cannot,' sir?" Wouldn't it be 'willnot'?

His superior waved his metallic hand to shift the screens, putting Agent Rudish in the center. "If I must intercede for them, they will never lead at all." A note of resignation entered his superior's tone. "You were right, Solomon. There have to be alternatives. There have to be contingency plans."

Solomon thought that might be the only time in his entire life that his superior admitted that he had been wrong, and Solomon had been right. And Solomon didn't expect it to happen ever again.

His superior went on. "However…this could end up costing us quite dearly."

"How so, sir?"

"If they cannot work together…they may split G3 down its core."

An instinctive, cold shiver went down Solomon's spine. That was his worse nightmare. But… "What do you mean?"

"Their disagreements could divide the agents," his superior clarified. "While the agents follow you with complete loyalty, now they may have to take sides. It could split our forces, our goals."

ThatSolomon feared. G3 was meant to be unified. Their mission of protecting the earth required nothing less. Their resolve and dedication had to be absolute.

"Should I give one power over the others?" Solomon asked. That hadn't been his original plan, but if it was necessary, Solomon would do it.

"No," his superior said. "If you do that, one will speak over the others and dominate." He shifted the screens again, now moving Agent Andrews to the center. "Agent Andrews is the only one for whom that might not be true…yet he is not ready for that power."

Solomon understood that. Though he was confident in what perspective Agent Andrews had to offer, the tech agent also had trouble of putting his foot down. That was a flaw neither Doctor Genn nor Agent Rudish possessed. Hopefully Agent Andrews would learn from them, but until then, he would need them to help commanding.

"And, if you do give one more power, or if I intercede on behalf of one," his superior went on, "it would cause resentment between them. They must learn to listen to one another, and to yield when another's opinion is better than their own."

"And if they do not?"

"Then they will shatter."

Solomon suddenly wasn't so sure about this. He knew, extremely well, that risks were necessary. Necessary to life, to leadership, to the mission. Yet so much hinged on this…

"Sir…" he said slowly. "Perhaps other agents should be selected."

There was a small rumbling sound, and Solomon wondered if it was a chuckle.

"No, Solomon," his superior said. "These agents are the right choice. If they can learn, and I believe that they can, they will lead just as well as you." He took another wheezing breath. "Be at ease, Solomon. I will not stand aside and watch this agency crumble. But I may have to let things get worse in order for them to get better."

Solomon thought that over for a few seconds, before coming to the conclusion that, if nothing else, he had faith in his superior.

OOO

When Solomon announced to the agents who had been selected to lead G3, his agents' reactions had been difficult to read. They didn't seem upsetabout it, but Solomon could tell they still were not happy about him leaving. He had no doubt they would follow his orders and obey their new commanders, yet still, he hoped they would warm up to this new change.

That settled, Solomon spent the rest of the night planning out future goals in the coming weeks before he turned in for the night. As the week spiraled down, Solomon had several more meetings with his selected agents, both individually and as a group. Though, of course, they remained professional, there was very little they agreed on. As they had more meetings, they made each other angrier and angrier, further building up resentment towards each other. Agent Andrews was the most forgiving, yet that didn't mean the othersforgave him.

Yet still, they rose to all of Solomon's instructions and tests with flying colors. Solomon offhanded some of his usual duties to them to see how they handled it (with him either supervising or checking afterwards), and he was always pleased with their accomplishments. Less so when they worked together, but he held on to hope that they would learn.

When he could, he planned for his mission with the Lunises. With some weariness, he ordered more civilian clothing, and figured he would have to have more than one style of uniform. So he arranged for a small series of outfits, mostly with collared shirts, and even some new nightclothes. As he went about his business on HQ, he was more aware than usual of the comfort and functionality of his suit. He would miss it dearly.

Not forgetting his promise to the Lunises, he organized a team of agents to build his new identity. He supervised them as they constructed files for him and infiltrated governmental records to engrain them in, linking him to the Lunises as their uncle as if he always had been. He was the brother of the robot's 'Mr. Lunis' form (on record, known as 'Isaac Lunis') and second son of the very vague files on Barnabas and Hannah Lunis. More vague files listed him as brother-in-law to Lance and Ilana's nonexistent mother, Margery Lunis, and that was about all the new familial connection he had to endure.

Independently, Solomon's files listed him as thirty-six years old. The dates weren't exact, but he didn't want them to be. These weren't meant to be real records, even if they appeared to be. Everything was set up as if it had always been there, as if he were a completely normal American citizen.

All the realrecords of Solomon from before he had joined G3 had long since been erased completely. It was, he had to admit, a little unnerving to see so much information of him on a public record. But he supposed it was just a cover, and tried to not be disturbed.

He received no further communication from the Lunises, which he supposed was a good thing, that they hadn't changed their minds and decided he couldn't come. He would not put such a thing past Lance, and it would only happen so long as they all were in agreement.

With each day, his agents got more and more visibly anxious. He saw them more often in the halls, they always turned and watched him when he entered a room, and, no matter how many times he announced that it was already decided that he was going, he still received several volunteers to take his place with the Lunises. And it was never because theywanted to be with the Lunises or claim the mission, but because they wanted him to stay on HQ.

By the day before his leave, Solomon could not set foot in a corridor without being followed by several agents. They never directly followed him, but were in all locations that he headed. Even as busy as they were with the extra jobs and shifts to be done, the agents seemed determined to be with Solomon as much as possible. It made it very difficult for him to slip down the path to see his superior, but he was a master of stealth as much as any of them. When he finally snuck away, he almost immediately got a call from the command center requesting he go to Lab 1 to inspect progress on the analysis of a monster part, which he acknowledged and said he would be there in one hour. It would certainly take less than an hour to travel there, yet the agent didn't dare question him. So that was that.

Ilana had not given him a precise time to come in, so he wanted to arrive as early as possible. Of course, he doubted they would appreciate it if he knocked on their door at 12:01 AM in the morning, but 9:00 AM seemed fair. There was still a chance he might be called up with a time, but for now, that was his plan. That meant he had to see his superior today before he left early in the morning.

Slipping into the room, Solomon acknowledged his superior with a small nod. "Sir."

"Solomon."

"This will very likely be the last occasion I will see you in person for some time. Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"

There was a pause, and Solomon waited patiently for his superior's next words. "You will learn much through this, Solomon."

"That is the objective, sir."

"…What if you don't like what you find?"

That made Solomon pause. "…Sir?"

"You've done much for the Lunises," his superior said, raspy tone dull as an ancient blade. "You've fought so hard for them. I would say you've even become attached to them."

Solomon tensed. "It is G3's duty to make extraterrestrial allies if possible, sir."

"Quite," his superior said dismissively. "Yet are your emotions clouding your judgement?"

Solomon drew in a deep breath. "I will do whatever it takes to defend the earth."

Hadn't he already? Hadn't he risked his life on numerous occasions, kidnapped and tortured the Lunises, two children,because he thought the earth was in danger? Sacrificing his very morals in his efforts to take back control? His superior had scolded him before about going to such lengths in an attempt to secure earth's safety.

Solomon shook off such thoughts and went on. "Many aliens have shown to be hostile to earth. Yet the Lunises have proven themselves as fellow protectorsof humanity. They fight the creatures as Titan. They avoid harming humans. They saved me. They fought with us against Steel."

"And they are keeping secrets," his superior added. "Secrets they have gone to great lengths to withhold."

"Because we tried to torture it out of them!" Solomon hissed, his anger rising. "And because, apparently, their leaders ordered it classified—"

"Why?" the man interrupted. "Whyis it classified? What is so important?"

"Ilana claimed that it was to keep the creatures from finding them—"

"Why are the creatures after them? What if all of these monsters are their fault?"

Of course Solomon didn't know. He had shouted these questions at Titan itself and had only been met with their defiance. He had fumed over them for a year now, yet the truth had always been kept out of his grasp. Because of the Lunises, certainly—but also because of his own superior, who always insisted on only 'watching' them. Yet now, as Solomon made moves to watchthe Lunises more closely, his superior was throwing these enigmas back at him. The very reasons Solomon had been desperate enough to abuse Lance and Ilana.

Infuriating man.

"I intend to find that out, sir," Solomon forced out through gritted teeth.

"And if you don't like what you find?" he superior returned to again. "If the Lunises don't turn out to be who you think they are? If they become our enemies?"

"Sir," Solomon said with little remaining patience. "I doubt that the Lunises would ever allow me close to them if they were our enemies—"

"If they are?"

Solomon stared. His loyalty to his superior had never been questioned before. He had only ever disobeyed him twice.

"I will do whatever it takes to defend the earth," Solomon repeated.

His superior finally settled with that. "…Good, Solomon. Your priorities must be kept straight, especially on this mission."

Solomon clenched his jaw. "Yes, sir. Is that all?"

There was only silence. Solomon turned and headed for the exit. It opened for him, but as he stepped out, his superior called after him.

"Watch out for Lance."

Solomon paused. The young male alien, of course, was the most hostile towards G3. He was also the best fighter, in hand-to-hand combat as well as with his armored suit. Gaining his trust would be the most difficult. But something about his superior's words made Solomon stop. It was as if his superior knew something more. Something he wouldn't tell Solomon.

"Yes, sir," Solomon said, because he wasn't sure how else to respond.

With that, he left.

OOO

As Solomon returned to his quarters at the end of the day, he was almost tempted to see his superior again in the morning. It felt…wrong, to part that way. Yet he also feared being questioned again, and he didn't have much time left until his departure.

His com device began going off, and Solomon immediately recognized the Lunises' number. He started, not used to having anything else in his quarters. There wasn't much to see—he only used it for rest and recuperation. Really, there was nothing besides his bed, dresser full of identical uniforms, and small bathroom off to the side, no personal items. Yet still, he positioned the screen so it would only show him and a blank wall, no sign of his true location.

The screen came up, showing Ilana, the robot in its Mr. Lunis disguise, and Lance, the last of whom was rather far back from the screen. Lance's position immediately caught Solomon's eye; it was as if the male alien did not want to be part of the conversation, so he had removed himself from the front, yet had to watch from the sidelines. Solomon knew that Lance wouldn't ignore this situation, even though he didn't like it.

Ilana began, as usual. She seemed to converse with Solomon easily, though the robot seemed unsure of him and Lance was still resentful.

"Hello, Solomon," Ilana greeted. "We just wanted to ask—do you have a particular time you want to come tomorrow?"

Solomon had suspected he might get a call about this at somepoint during the week. A twenty-four-hour window for his arrival kept things rather vague.

"I am willing to arrive at whatever time you wish," Solomon said, aiming to make his voice amiable. "I had planned to come in the morning, but I can adjust to any change in schedule."

In the background, Lance narrowed his eyes. Solomon guessed the alien didn't buy his fake nonchalance, that Solomon hadn't planned the very minute to show up.

Ilana, however, seemed perfectly contented. "Morning works. Say, 10:00?"

Solomon could alter his plans for that. Only one hour; it worked rather well, actually. "Perfect."

Ilana clapped her hands together. "Marvelous."

How odd it was, to look at Ilana's cheerful smile and youthful eyes, and think that she could possibly have nefarious purposes for earth. Lance was more reserved in demeaner, but he was still a child as well. The robot only existed to serve them, but they even affectionately viewed it as their father figure.

Yet the words of Solomon's superior echoed back to him, sparking the old suspicions he'd had at the beginning, just when he was finally able to put them to rest.

Can I trust them?

"I know this isn't exactly what you wanted, Solomon," Ilana suddenly said, snapping him out of his thoughts, "but we appreciate your understanding and trust."

Ilana might, but Lance certainly didn't. Still, Solomon would take the words as they were meant to.

"As do I," he said with a nod.

"Until tomorrow, then."

He nodded, and then they cut out, leaving him alone.

With a sigh, Solomon moved to the closet where he kept his suits. He removed his hat and googles, and then went to the bed, sat down, and brought up a holo-screen. After some tweaking, he shifted his plans for tomorrow back an hour. He then prepared to turn in for the night.

OOO

Surprisingly, Solomon slept rather well, and woke fully rested the next morning. He now had an extra hour to his day; it was rather odd, as he hadn't had free time in ages. If one of his slated tasks ever did finish faster than planned, he always had a list of more work to do. His schedule wasn't a rigid thing. It was ready to be adjusted at any new influx of information, and often did, yet still, it was tight.

Solomon considered visiting his superior with his newfound hour, but dismissed the idea for fear of fighting with him, as well as the difficulty of dodging his agents again. If it had been bad yesterday with them, it was terrible now. Finally Solomon resigned himself to having a dozen agents follow his every step.

In the end, he spent the time with Doctor Genn, Agent Rudish, and Agent Andrews. He gathered the three in another briefing room and sat at a table with them, listening to them debate their plans. They learned fast, and were already taking to their new roles quite well. Solomon was impressed with all they laid out, the individual plans and concepts they came up with. Yet they still showed no signs of becoming better at cooperation.

"I should handle the gathering of alien creature remains," Doctor Genn asserted haughtily. "They are, after all, scientific material."

"You already handle them in the laboratories," Agent Rudish said, sounding exasperated. "What is the point of seeing them before we take them to the labs?"

Doctor Genn kept her tone crisp and precise. "There could be evidence on the site that the retrieval agents miss—or else something we'd only see before we move the parts."

"Or, the carcasses could hurt you," Agent Rudish shot back. "Some of the remains can be dangerous—like the rocks of the first fire monster, or the sludge of the thing that attacked Sherman High School. We've also had a few run-ins with militaries while trying to gather the corpses. The retrieval missions should be handled by a field agent."

"Why don't you both handle the missions together?" Agent Andrews suggested.

Both Doctor Genn and Agent Rudish glared at each other silently for fifteen seconds.

Agent Rudish broke it. "Doctor Genn is one of the head scientists. She needs to be ready at the laboratories for when the material arrives, to lead the other scientists as well as study it herself."

Doctor Genn's hard eyes narrowed a small fraction. "Did you not claim that it is important for a leader to face challenges themselves, Agent Rudish? Side-by-side with their followers, instead of being cooped up in a lab? Why the change?"

"I simply believe your skills can be used elsewhere."

"You mean, you don't believe I have the skills to be a leader."

Well this wasn't going well. Solomon rarely ever saw such squabbling among G3 personnel. But as these three spent more time together, they became more determined to drag each other down. Solomon glanced at the camera in the corner of the room. He was rapidly losing faith in his choices, but his superior seemed more confident by the day. Why was it that the two of them always seemed to be of opposite opinions?

"Excuse me," Agent Andrews interceded, as he often did when fights between the other two reached the breaking point. Agent Andrews did not seem to like to argue, but still managed to get into some quarrels himself. "But I see no reason why there can't be a compromise. Doctor Genn can attend the retrieval missions if she wishes, or stay back if she thinks that's best."

Both Doctor Genn and Agent Rudish kept glaring at each other as if they hadn't heard him.

Agent Andrews looked disheartened, and tried again. "Or perhaps, if you two handle the missions so differently, you could take turns?"

Nowthey both turned to him, and gave him almost identical unimpressed looks.

Agent Andrews's shoulders fell, but he kept on. "It is an important duty. After all, G3 must remove the remains as quickly and carefully as possible so that civilians can start to rebuild and move on with their daily lives. I would like to handle such a mission myself if possible."

"No," Agent Rudish said flatly. "You're not going. And neither are you," he added, looking to Doctor Genn.

"You actually don't have the authority to stop me," Doctor Genn pointed out. And, Solomon could see cold fire in her eyes as she went on, "And that goes for Agent Andrews, too."

It was a disaster. Solomon glanced between them under his red googles, waiting and hoping that they would sort it out themselves like his superior had said, but it only worsened.

He glanced at his watch. It was time for him to leave anyway. He stood. "That's enough," he told them, and they all went silent. "A leader must listen as much as they speak. Try to remember that."

There were subtle flickers of regret in Doctor Genn's and Agent Rudish's eyes, and Agent Andrews even ducked his head. They knew what Solomon wanted of them, they just didn't seem able to do it.

Well, they'd have to learn.

"It is time for me to go," he said, and all three of them tensed. Even though they'd known of it for almost a week, they still did not seem ready. "You must sort out these issues on your own." He glared at them through his googles, making it clear that he expected them to. "Come along."

Turning, Solomon headed for the door. The three followed him, Agent Andrews clearly uneasy while the other two kept the appearance of indifference. They came with him to the hanger, where several agents were waiting to see him off.

To say he wasn't worried about leaving his agency in the hands of others would be a lie. He had always been in command of G3, and had never intended to stop until the day he died. He had never left his superior alone for as long as he currently intended to, either. Yet here he was.

You can still control things from afar,he tried to tell himself.

A hovercraft was waiting for him. Solomon turned to face the three agents one last time. Doctor Genn's expression was locked down and guarded, Agent Rudish's jaw was clenched slightly, and Agent Andrews's shoulders were slouched a little.

Solomon lifted his wrist and typed a few last commands into his com device, effectively elevated the three agents into the leaders of G3. Solomon still had enough authority to trump them, yet should he be unable to perform his duties, they would be in command.

"It is done," Solomon said, letting his wrist drop. "G3 is in your hands."

There was a change in the very air at that statement, and Solomon thought that all the agents present felt it, too.

He glanced at the security camera that was pinned on them. In a public place as this, a look was all the goodbye he could manage for his superior. But it would do.

Turning, Solomon bordered the ship, and left G3 HQ, unsure as to when he'd come back.

[AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sym-Bionic Titan leaves Netflix mid-December, much to my disappointment… This chapter was meant to be longer, but I decided to split it. Chapter 4 is written, it just needs editing. So, it should be up soon. Solomon will finally get to the house. Thanks for reading.]