Flug got up at 8:00 on a Saturday for this.
He really wished he had just broken down and agreed to go earlier in the week. It would've saved him having to fake being sick this morning in order to get out of work. He did the classic "hang your head off the end of your bed to sound congested" trick. He added in a few coughs and nauseous sounds for dramatic effect.
It worked, probably because his manager was an idiot, and he was off for the day.
If they called Sunday, he was just going to text back that he was worse. "Hopefully" it would clear up by Monday.
But still, he woke up at eight in the morning on a SATURDAY.
He quickly took the shower he desperately needed, packed a few essentials into a duffel bag, searched in vain for briefs or whatever typical men wore, and brewed a pot of coffee. He packed nothing but jeans and T-Shirts, his typical outfit, and felt he was ready.
He decided to abandon his stockings and girly thigh high socks, just in case. Black Hat would NOT be seeing him in his usual feminine attire. He did, thankfully, have a fair amount of regular white tube socks.
Black Hat showed up at 10, almost exactly. Flug had to hand it to him, that was amazing punctuality. He got into his car and noticed a large cooler in the backseat along with a good-sized suitcase. Black Hat's change of clothes, Flug guessed. But that cooler, it looked too heavy for just one person to carry.
Shrugging it off, he tossed his bag in the back along with the mystery cooler.
What followed was a drive.
Actually no. Calling it a drive made it sound leisurely and pleasant. Like two guys going off for a relaxing weekend trip. Just pallin' around and...I don't know, bonding?
That wasn't what Black Hat's driving was like. It was like being stuck with an angry toddler in traffic on the way to said toddler's favorite fast food joint and the kid had been refusing to eat all afternoon because his mom told him not to spoil his appetite and now we're in bumper to bumper traffic without the kids pacifier. If the toddler was also in the driver's seat and unloading all of his crankiness and bad temper on innocent car drivers, then you'd get an approximation of Black Hat's road rage.
No one was crashed into, mostly because Flug pointed out that it'd be a bitch to try and flee the scene in this traffic, but there were a few close calls. And, okay, Black Hat brought some snacks and there were sodas in the cooler. There was also beer (a lot more beer) but alcohol was not something Flug was going to bring to this equation. Having something to eat on the way did help with keeping the trip endurable. They did not, however, stop for any actual meals. The both of them mainly made due with gas station and convenience store snacks.
So yeah, not a leisurely drive to a relaxing, fun weekend. More like blazing a trail through the highway to hell. Unsurprisingly, the highway is packed with sinners and it wasn't so much blazing a trail as it was a slow burn towards the next freeway off ramp.
Oh, and to add to the suspense, Black Hat still hadn't fully explained where they were going or why.
Black Hat told everyone they were going out drinking, which was most likely a lie (even with the keg's worth of booze in the cooler), so what would this weekend actually entail?
And why in the name of hell did it require an eight hour drive?!
The sun was going down by the time Black Hat finally stopped the car. Flug was a bit confused when he did, they'd made pit stops before for bathroom breaks and snack refills, even refilling their gas tank once, but there wasn't anything around. No gas station, no convenience store, and they'd just passed a town not too long ago.
So that would mean they were finally at their destination, yes?
Well, where was this?! The literally middle of nowhere?! Some random isolated spot in the Mexican desert?
Oh shit is he going to harvest my organs?
Flug wanted to think he was overreacting. He wanted to. But, well; out of the way spot in Mexico, suspiciously large cooler, Flug wasn't the most popular or noteworthy guy. It was possible that he could go missing and only a handful of people would really notice. He supposed his parents would notice, eventually. He didn't keep in touch that often so it might take them a while to notice he was missing. His paranoia only skyrocketed when Black Hat turned off the car, turned to him and said, "Ok, we're here."
He blinked. "Um...h-here?" He said, pointing down, as if here could mean something else.
Black Hat rolled his eyes. "Yes, here! Come on!" He got out, Flug followed suit.
Black Hat motioned for Flug to follow him a ways in some seemingly random direction. They walked for a bit in the darkness, mostly silent except for their footprints, muffled still by the dirt and sand of the land untouched by civilization.
Flug looked up, and found himself staring into the eyes of the cosmos.
Stars, tons of them. More than he'd ever seen in his life. Whole constellations! If he didn't know better he'd think he was seeing complete galaxies! It was actually hard to remind himself that wasn't the case. His inner childlike wonder was greatly overpowering his rational adult mind. The moon was larger than it had ever seemed to be, like it had spontaneously moved through space closer to the earth. It's luminescence was grand, it lit the night so wonderfully that Flug's eyes barely had any darkness to adjust themselves to. He almost thought he could count the craters in the big beautiful moon he stared at.
It was so glorious.
He'd never had a huge interest in space. In his mind the open sky of the Earth was as far as he needed to venture to find beauty. What lay beyond their humble planet's atmosphere was of no concern. But now, seeing it, seeing it without the interference of lights or the pollution of humanity, he felt he finally understood what held the astrologers heart.
It didn't replace his old love of the sky, but it gave him a new appreciation for what was millions of lightyears away but still visible to an insignificant speck of life like him to gawk at.
"Flug!" A familiar voice called to shake him out of his thoughts.. It seemed to be happening more often as time went on. "Flug, keep up!" He noticed he had fallen behind as he stargazed.
"Oh! Sorry." He squeaked as he jogged up to join the man. "I-I've just never seen so many stars so cl-clearly."
He thought he saw Black Hat grin at this. "Mesmerizing sight, no?"
"Yes,"
He nodded as he kept walking. "It's one of the reasons I brought you out here."
Flug paused a bit at this. Not physically, he still kept pace with Black Hat, but it made him stop and think.
Black Hat likes to stargaze?
It seemed like something so...normal. Just an average, normal, ordinary interest. He wouldn't think someone aspiring for world domination and selling weapons of mass destruction would find pleasure in something so simple as taking a look at the night sky. That was something your typical nature-loving hiker did, not some super villain!
Well, Flug supposed that villains were people too, and could enjoy more than one sort of thing.
Tonight, stars. Tomorrow, terrorism.
Flug was strangely okay with that.
"A-and the other reason?" Flug asked. "The other reason you brought me out here?"
Black Hat stopped as if on cue. Flug's eyes left the man's face and he stared out in front of them. They seemed to be on a ridge of some kind, looking down at what Flug guessed could be some kind of construction site. It was large, like something pretty big was planned, but it seemed that work was just starting.
The machines lay empty and the work site deserted (or so Flug assumed). Like a child's set of toys left out for the night, leaving the game to resume the next morning.
"Wh-what is that?" Flug asked, sounding a bit awestruck. He didn't fully understand what this was or why they were here for it, but Black Hat had his full attention.
Black Hat crawled down the ridge so that was now standing below Flug. He reached out and offered his hand.
"Come,"
Flug took it and allowed himself to be guided down the ridge, sliding for the most part, until they were on flat land again. The two men walked in a comfortable silence, neither wishing to disturb the peace of the moment. Black Hat didn't let go right away, he held his hand as he led Flug towards the empty construction site.
There was a fence surrounding it, mostly likely to keep out trespassers like them. Flug looked up at the fence, about two meters in height, mostly likely going around the entirety of the work site with the exception of the gate. There had to be a gate, right? The workers needed some way of getting in.
It would be locked, of course, but Flug doubted that would be keeping them out tonight.
Black Hat led the way as they followed the fencing to what Flug assumed would be the gate entrance. Flug still didn't understand why exactly Black Hat had brought him here or what this was supposed to mean, but he wasn't ready to break the silence just yet. He would allow Black Hat to reveal it himself.
The reached the gate. As Black Hat fiddled with the lock and Flug couldn't tell what he was doing (How could he even tell what he was doing?), he looked around. This place was, as Flug guessed, in the absolute middle of nowhere. There was a road leading up to it, all that machinery got here somehow, but nothing to give clues as to what was being built.
There were signs on the gate. The standard "KEEP OUT" and "NO TRESPASSING". Flug didn't know much about construction equipment, so peeking at the machinery from the other side of the fence wasn't telling him much aside from the fact that construction was, in fact, ongoing.
It seemed like maybe they were just getting started on the actual building of...whatever this was going to be? Like they had finished the landscaping (that's what they did to the land before they started building, right?) and were just getting to putting down the foundation for buildings.
Flug heard some kind of metallic crack, which he assumed was the lock being busted open. Black Hat stood up from his crouched position and opened the gate as swiftly as if he was merely opening the doors to his own home.
He almost expected Black Hat to try and hold his hand again, but no. He just walked through the open gates and Flug followed closely behind.
Black Hat strolled through the site with ease, while Flug was tripping and stumbling on the uneven ground pretty much every other step he took. Which made no sense. Even if Black Hat had trespassed here before the work was still going and the dirt was probably not remaining constant during that time.
Flug didn't know if there was some certain spot they were going to or if Black Hat was just roaming around aimlessly, but he was able to admire the equipment to a great extent. He might not be familiar with any of it, but he could still appreciate complex machinery when he saw it.
Without warning, Black Hat stopped. Flug unceremoniously crashed into his back. Which was really firm and solid, as it turned out. Black Hat didn't even budge from the weight of Flug walking into him.
Black Hat turned to face him, not even fazed or the least bit angry. Odd, he thought he'd at least be annoyed from that. Not that Flug was gonna complain. Angry Black Hat was frightening. It convinced him all the more that he had sharp teeth.
"Flug, do you know what this place is?" He asked, a slight smile on his face.
"Um, a construction site?" Flug asked.
"Yes, yes, but a construction site for what?"
"I, uh, I don't know." The site was large, and it was clear they were laying down the groundwork for...something...but nothing gave him any clues as to what.
Black Hat seemed a bit disappointed at that. Flug struggled to come up with a guess.
"Um, sorry but I haven't taken an architecture course, or studied construction machines. I don't know how to figure this out. I-I-I can learn those th-things!" He said suddenly. He had no idea why he was offering to study things that had nothing to do with his field of study just to try and, what, impress this guy?
Black Hat just kinda shrugged. "They're building a new town."
Flug blinked. A...town? They came all this way to see a new town in the making? Why? I mean it was kind of cool and interesting and certainly wasn't anything he would've even thought to go do on a Saturday.
But...why did they drive for eight goddamn hours for this?!
"A new town?" he asked.
"Yes. They're, ah, they're just finishing the foundation but, when that's completed they can get around to actually laying out the townplan. Where the houses and shops and roads will be and all that."
"Ooookaaaay…" Flug really didn't see where this was going.
"I wanted you to see this because…" Black Hat paused, seeming to struggle with getting the words out. "Because, well, I want this to be my base."
"Your...base?"
"Base. Headquarters. Lair. Base of operations. I want it to be here." He said.
Before Flug could open his mouth to comment Black Hat spoke again. "Hear me out, listen. It's a brand new town. A small town. Isolated. Away from prying eyes and under the radar of heroes. They always look in the big, populated cities, not small town communities like this will be. We set up here, we could stay unnoticed. Inoservato. Free to do as we wish until our big debut. Hidden in plain sight until we finally step out of the shadows. By that time, we'll be strong enough to take on any who dare attack our home."
Our home?
"Right here." Black Hat said, stomping down a foot. "My future lair will be right here. It's gonna be a big place, the future world tyrant wouldn't have anything less, but I'm confident in my choice of location. It'll be perfezionare. Perfect. I've already put in the paperwork to purchase the land. All of it. This entire town will be belong to me."
Flug was mildly impressed that Black Hat just translated that on his own. And that he was putting more thought into the logistics of how to actually make his plans reality.
"It's...it's going to take years before it's finished, of course." He continued. "Towns don't just spring up like weeds, after all. But, when everything's settled and done and I move here…"
Black Hat looked Flug dead in the eyes. Flug looked back, too frozen to flinch or squirm at the uncomfortable unblinking gaze.
"Will you be here with me?"
Flug supposed that this was it. It was time. This was the final last chance to back out now or live with the consequences. It was time to stop avoiding it and make his choice.
Black Hat said he had no intention of forcing him or blackmailing him, and he'd stuck to that so far. All he'd done was make him an offer, give him an explanation as to why he'd approached him, and then brought him out to show him just how serious he was.
He'd offered him the world, all he was doing now was showing how he'd get them there.
"How would this work?" Flug asked. Always questioning, wasn't he? "Is there like a contract I have to sign? A non-disclosure agreement?"
"I did draft up a contract." Black Hat said, pulling a rolled-up piece of paper out of his coat. Did he have that with him the entire time? Was it all sweaty and gross from being in his coat all day?
Flug took it from him. No, it didn't feel sweaty or moist or anything. Just ordinary paper rolled-up and tied with a small red ribbon with black lining.
The man had a color scheme and he was sticking to it.
Remembering he was dealing with a villain here, there was a burning concern in the back of his mind. Black Hat said he wouldn't force him to join, and he was keeping his word there.
But would he force me to stay?
"What are the terms of this contract?" Better to ask now than find out years later. He couldn't read it for himself in this light, and he wasn't going to waste anymore time. "Is it a lifetime commitment?"
"If I sign this and agree to work for you, will I be allowed to quit?"
Black Hat kept his eye trained on Flug's face. His eye narrowed and his voiced went deeper, but he never looked away, never broke his gaze, never fidgeted or played with his hands. He was a stone statue.
"No. If you agree to this, you're agreeing to spend your life working for me."
There it was. The ultimatum Flug had been anticipating. The true moment where he had to choose what he would do with his life.
That was quite the statement. Not to mention a lot to ask of your employees. Especially ones you barely know personally and all you have to go on is the dirty secrets you dug up. How was he even planning on enforcing that?
If he agreed, he was literally signing away his life to his man and his ambition. If not, well he didn't know what he would do. He had never had any long-term goals or plans going into Universidad. He supposed he would end up working for some hero or heroic organization, using his talents for the benefit of mankind and the assistance of the lawful to chaotic good. That was fine with him, it would make his parents proud, but it wasn't anything he thought of with any specific pleasure.
Creating weapons, machines of destruction, inventions designed to maim, injure, murder, capture, kill, cripple, disable, destroy, annihilate, defeat.
The mere thought gave Rocinante Flugslys...feeling. He felt lightheaded. His stomach seemed to clench a bit but not to painfully. His mind fluttered with the thought of what he could contribute. In his projects, capturing his fellow students, it was like he just realized he'd been holding himself back. He'd been limiting himself with what he could truly accomplish.
He wasn't sure if it was a truly good feeling, but it was something stirred deep within him and it was something the peaceful alternative seemingly could not give.
Black Hat held his hand again, and led him away from the construction site. The future land for the headquarters of Black Hat's future evil empire. He led Flug out past the gate, Flug noticed the lock had actually been broken, and they went back up the ridge to the car. Silently.
In that silence, Flug was allowed time to think. He considered it from every angle. Went over the details in his head. Tried to work out the logistics of the how and whys and whens and things he couldn't wrap his head around. He must've lost himself in his thoughts because the next thing he knew they were back at the car.
He faced Black Hat, Black Hat looked him dead in the eyes, as if his thick lenses didn't even exist. He'd given him intense stares before, but this was the most expectant.
"Have you killed people?" Flug asked.
"Yes." The dark skinned man replied instantly. The shadow cast by his top hat made his face seem even darker, like the night itself grew a face.
"How many?"
"Who knows? I never bothered counting. I had more important things to think of."
"How many other villains do you know?"
"Many. Spread across the continents. Some are friends."
"The others?"
"Smart enough to not be enemies." Black Hat said with a grimace. "Now, I think that after all the question you've asked me, I'm owed a few of my own."
Black Hat spun them around and pinned Flug against the side of the car. He was still clutching onto his hand, almost painfully so, and held him forcefully. He doubted he could physically overpower him.
"I've answered you honestly." He said with a malicious grin. "You'll extend the same courtesy, yes?"
Flug nodded, of course he would. Even if he wasn't being accosted like this, he would still probably be truthful. That night at the Cafe scared him.
Black Hat nodded back. "Bene, bene."
"Bien." Flug meekly corrected.
Black Hat stopped smiling. He actually had more of a blank look on his face now.
"Bien." He repeated.
Flug nodded, putting a big smile on his face like Yep! You got it! Bien bien bien! You get a gold star!
"Flug," Black Hat said, still stone-faced. "Will you tell me about Julio Bermudez?"
Crap. Flug thought. I didn't think you'd ask about him.
"Y-yo-you don't already know?" Flug asked, his breathing hitched and labored. Being in trapped positions like this were a bit of a turn on, which was awkward when done by a guy who's potentially your new boss.
"I want to hear it from you." Black Hat said with a shrug. "No need to leave out any...juicy details." He grinned widely, showing off his definitely sharp and needle-like teeth.
This man is fucking with me.
Flug relaxed some of the tension in his body, going a bit limp. It wasn't that he felt the danger had passed, it was more he felt he could get it over quicker if he just spilled the beans. He was honestly getting pretty fed up with the past coming back to haunt so constantly this past week.
"Julio was my boyfriend." He said simply. No reaction from Black Hat. Ok, fine. "My first boyf-f-friend. My parents are very religious and I didn't think they'd accept m-me if they knew. So when I found him in the Fuerza Aérea, I jumped at the chance to actually date someone. He, thankfully, felt the same."
Black Hat nodded quietly, so Flug continued.
"He understood my situation, his wa-wa-was similar, so for the most part we kept our relationship private. We tried to, at least. B-b-b-but someone found out."
"Gabriel Sueños." Black Hat said.
"Yeah," Flug said with a resigned sigh. "Yeah, that was him."
Sueños. A tall, well-built man with dark hair and fair skin. Not the most popular guy in their cadet unit, but he had a fair amount of toadies that went along with his bigotry.
He had hated him.
"W-well, he found out. He threatened to tell everyone, the squad leader, the general, the other cadets. Julio was worried about getting kicked out, or our parents finding out, so w-w-w-we basically became his servants from that day o-on."
Doing his chores, washing his laundry, giving him whatever portions of their food he wanted. He would shove and beat them when none of their superiors were watching. He scarcely left them alone at all. It was worse than he let on. They were not treated like servants by Gabriel, they were treated like slaves. He spoke to them as if they were lesser beings unworthy of basic decency. He walked all other them and it drove Rocinante insane.
Perhaps literally.
"And then?" Black Hat prompted after Flug had been quiet for too long.
"You know wha-what happened then." He said, meeting his gaze with tired eyes.
"Tell me anyway."
"Then the incident happened, and we ended up breaking up. The end."
"Oh, what incident?" Black Hat asked in mock ignorance. He brought his hands up to pin Flug by his shoulders against the car. "Tell me what happened."
Flug slapped Black Hat's hands away from him, finally standing up straight. "I convinced Julio to sneak out with me, while our squadron was doing a drill. Each unit was camped out far away from each other to really sell the illusion of being stranded away from civilization. We stole an old, unused plane from one of the hangars. I flew it, and I crashed it into their campsite. Julio shielded me from the blunt of the damage. We were the only survivors."
"And then?" Black Hat asked with a goddamn elated expression clear on his face. He was actually deriving joy from making Flug talk about this, apparently oblivious to the scorn in his voice.
"Julio was bedridden, so was I, but he was far worse off. He could barely move. I shouldn't have moved, but I did anyway. People kept questioning us. I barely spoke at all. We were separated and weren't allowed to see or talk to each other, but I went and visited him. First I convinced one of the nurses to sneak me in to see him. Then, when I knew the way by heart, I snuck over when I knew the halls were empty.
We figured out our story but, heh, it wa-wasn't all that convincing." Flug said with another chuckle. "Me being largely silent helped sell it, but it wasn't enough for some people. Even then I knew altering records and our own statements w-wa-w-wasn't going to be enough. So I got m-m-m-more...active with keeping my secrets."
Black Hat grabbed him by the shoulders again. Tightly gripping him like he was afraid he was going to disappear if he let him go. If his smile grew any wider Flug was afraid it would up and split his head in two.
"Yes?" he asked through a clenched jaw of grinning sharp teeth.
"So, I, uh, I got rid of them."
"Who?"
"The people who kept digging into things. Who kept trying to unravel the m-m-mys-mysteries of why it all happened. I ha-had to. It was the only way. Julio ended up taking responsibility for the crash. I never asked him to, but I didn't stop him either. He didn't tell them about us, or wh-wha-what Sueños had been doing."
"And how did you do that? How did you get rid of them?"
"I killed them." He said shortly, and without much emotion.
Black Hat's grin fell a bit. He moved his hands in front of Flug's face in a kind of "go on" gesture.
"I used a knife." Black Hat's smile faded a little more. "I stabbed them." Flug said again. The smile got smaller. That elated look in the hatted man's eye lessened.
"Ok fine, Julio actually watched me kill the last of them. That's where our relationship ended. He took the fall for the crash, he never told anyone what he saw me do, and they had a really weak security system that was easily hacked into and that's how I never got caught. The crash was officially labeled an accident by two stupid cadets who took a joyride in an old defunct plane and lost control. Are you happy now?"
Black Hat was still and silent. He was no longer smiling at all and he did NOT look happy. He had lessened his death grip on Flug's arms, though. Which Flug swiftly brushed off saying "And can you let go of me? You're like a clingy woman."
Silence for a beat. Silence that Black Hat shattered with his next revelation.
"I'm not the one wearing women's underwear, Flug."
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
Black Hat pinned Flug against the car again, with his entire body this time. He had a leg firmly planted between Flug's thighs and roughly forced his arms to his sides. His face was close, so close Flug could feel his hot breath puffing against his cheek. Flug had his face turned away, both to hide his embarrassment and so that he didn't have to face it. Face HIM.
Black Hat chuckled. "Oh, don't be like that. It's not like I really care about…" he trailed off. "You know."
He's laughing at me. I can hear it in his voice. He's mocking me and CAN YOU BACK THE FUCK UP I DON'T NEED YOU RUBBING AGAINST ME RIGHT NOW!
Seriously though, comedic internal monologue aside, Black Hat literally shoving their bodies together against the backseat car door was FAR closer than Flug wanted to be with him. The feeling of something hard pressing against his hip almost made him scream. And NOT in a fun way.
Um, Black Hat, sir, this is not appropriate employee-employer behavior. If you do not desist I WILL contact HR.
"I told you not to leave out the details." Black Hat continued. "Why'd you give me such a watered down version of the story?" Flug swore he could hear him pouting.
"Black Hat, I don't like talking about this. Or my relationships."
"Oh oh ok, fine. Sure. How about we talk about the bodies? What did they look like? Did you see their limbs? How about his?" He asked with a sneer. "Could you smell the charred flesh? Or was it all burned away by the time you came to?"
"Please," Flug murmured. "Can we just-"
"How do your scars feel?" Black Hat asked, bringing his face uncomfortably close to Flug's. Flug had unwisely turned away toward his left side, exposing his scarred right cheek to Black Hat. "Do you feel lucky? You survived a plane crash, and the worst you got was a broken leg, and some scar tissue. And that wasn't even the fire. Or the impact. That was the leg, but it wasn't your face or that area on your chest and shoulder."
Crap. He even knew about that?
"It was the glass, wasn't it?" His breath was ghosting over the patchwork of scars on his cheek, giving Flug a slight tingly feeling.
Flug nodded meekly, trying not to shiver from the sensation.
"Yes, it was the glass."
"Shoddy work on those old models, eh?" Black Hat said. "Should've stolen one more up-to-date."
"Thank you, Captain Hindsight, but that doesn't do me a lot of good right now." Flug said, turning to face him. That only brought their faces closer together. They were directly face-to-face now. So close they would barely need to lean in at all if they wanted to kiss.
Wait, would Black Hat actually try to kiss him? He better not! Not after all this emotional whirlwind of torment and uncertainty!
Black Hat, if you so much as try to kiss me right now, I will bite you. I swear to God.
That might be a stupid thing to do to the guy who brought you to the middle of nowhere and who is your only ride home. AN EIGHT HOUR car ride home. And who has a large cooler that is probably big enough for a human carcass, if dismembered.
Ok is that line of thought really helpful?
"Flug?" Black Hat asked in a deep, low voice.
"Ye-yeah?" Flug responded in a much higher pitch than his usual speaking voice. It sounded like a squeak. Oh god PUBERTY WAS YEARS AGO why is his voice cracking?
"I'd like your answer now."
Ah, yes, the true matter at hand.
Does Rocinante Flugslys agree to join with the up and coming villain from God-knows-where with no turning back?
Or does he refuse and sit through a very awkward car ride back to civilization?
Pros:
Black Hat is a legit villain who has killed people before, and presumably has SOME kind of experience. So it's not as if I'm joining up with someone who has no idea what they're doing
Very easy workload, just work nonstop for the rest of my life. I can do that.
Simple work, designing and inventing machines. I know how to do that.
Extremely secure job position, quitting is not an option.
Good pay, Black Hat is loaded and willing to fund pretty much anything if it gets him closer to world domination. Money will most likely not be a *huge* issue.
No need to hide true self/past, he already knows about it.
Headquarters will not be complete for another few years, leaving time to finish education and iron out the details of this whole world conquest scheme. Together.
Possibility to contribute improvements in Black Hat's oversimplified plan. Although seeing that he's picked some out of the way spot for his main base, maybe he's putting more thought into this than I originally assumed. That is a good call.
Cons:
Morally wrong, is by definition evil.
Lifetime commitment, quitting is not an option.
Probably not something to tell mom and dad about, or anyone really. Can't tell anyone what it is I do for a living.
Having to live with the fact that everything I do is mostly likely killing people.
Boss knows dirty secrets and will not hesitate to use them to taunt me.
Will have to spend the rest of my life under Black Hat. Do I really want to do that?
I wonder what the work hours will be?
Will most likely leave little to no time left for things like socializing or relaxation. How much anime will I miss? And is that really what concerns me right now?
Somehow, he felt the pros were beginning to outweigh the cons.
And really, what were Flug's plans to begin with? After coming to terms with the fact that he would never fly again and deciding to go to college, what was his actual goal?
Get a degree, get a job, move on with life. Those were the basics. As oversimplified as Black Hat's goals. It had been over two years, and he was still no closer to figuring out what it was he actually wanted out of his life.
So, why not?
He took a deep breath. "Black Hat."
"Yes?"
"I'll do it. I'm yours."
Black Hat grinned maliciously at him, his pupil exploding in his glee.
"Excellent!"
Notes:
The next chapter is my absolute favorite so far. I can't wait for you all to read it!
Translations:
Inoservato = Unnoticed (Italian)
perfezionare = perfect (Italian)
Bene = Good (Italian)
Bien = Good (Spanish)
