Episode 9: Child Surprise

The mess at the SPD Headquarters has been successfully dealt with and kept under wraps. The official statement was that the Bomb Disposal Storage had a dud that suddenly blew up. Of course, the people was still outraged, but it was better than admitting that the SPD has been infiltrated for years.

The higher-ups have initiated a very thorough investigation on each member to root out any spies. Meanwhile, Steve's being interrogated somewhere by the Fantasia Central Intelligence. Their reputation was exactly like the CIA's. Brutal, cunning, effective.

International crime syndicates and conspiracies involving Fantasia Natives were their usual jurisdiction. So imagine their hatred when Chakob chose to work with me and the SPD instead of them. Most of the criminals in their most wanted list had some connection with Chakob. So even if they hated it, they'd have no choice but to work with us if they wanted his help.

I for one didn't understand the politics of it all. But hey, if they're gonna do my job for me, that's fine. As for me, I intended to enjoy my much-deserved day off. My life's been threatened far too often lately. It was high time I relaxed in a safe place, with good food, and maybe a movie to watch.

"Alright... I wonder what's good to stream nowadays," I muttered to myself as I browsed through hundreds of titles on the couch.

Maria stepped out before I woke up. According to my account's streaming history, she's been watching a lot of Sci-fi lately. Maybe I'll share my favorite movie to see how she likes it.

Just as I pressed the button on the remote, the front door clicked open.

I jumped out the couch to greet her.

"Hey welcome... back?"

I paused. Blinked, to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. Yep, it was real alright. Maria, with a tired expression on her face, carried a mountain of groceries on each arm, and a little girl on her shoulders.

The groceries I could understand. After all, I saw her mistake a shotput for a normal ball once. She even threw a fastball with it. But the girl... The girl was something I had to wrap my head around for a second. Because it wasn't any random girl... It was the Dragon that Mr. Han and I took from the Dungeon!

"Where...?" I hesitated to ask.

Maria nudged the girl and she promptly handed me a USB drive.

It was a surreal experience for me to gingerly take the drive from her tiny hands. Last time we met, she was a gigantic predator that was hellbent on eating me. But right now, she just looked like a docile, albeit stoic, little girl.

Maria brushed past me and headed for the kitchen. I followed to help but she simply pointed at the drive and then at the TV, effectively banishing me from her space. But I guess this was better. I had a lot of questions in my head and maybe the drive would clear stuff up.

Soon enough, I set up everything. The thumb drive had only one video in it so I quickly pressed play.

The video started off with a cheesy 80's commercial music. The kind that the kids put in memes nowadays. And then, a disclaimer faded in that said:

[I made this out of boredom. Please don't hate me Andrew. -Love, Supervisor Han]

The screen faded again and when it came back, it showed Mr. Han in a black t-shirt and jean shorts.

"Are you tired of being a beta who can only use wind magic because of your Sylph blood?" he started with the boisterous energy of an infomercial host. "Do you want to make a big change in your life?"

He then disappeared off screen and lifted the dragon girl from out of nowhere.

"Introducing your Dragon daughter!" he announced. "This powerful child was afraid of dying! I guess no one taught her that Dragons reincarnate. But this ignorance is for your benefit, dear watcher. Because of her mistake, she made a deal with you! That's right, you! For a limited time only (your death), you can use her White Dragon powers!"

The background then switched like a slideshow to show a sweltering city.

"Hot because of a heatwave? Just stop the molecules around you to give off a cooling effect!"

The background switched again. And this time, it was an ice cream truck with him holding an ice cream beside it.

"Ice cream melting? Just blow on it with your new frost breath!" the video suddenly cut and his ice cream turned to a block of ice. "Easy!"

The screen then flipped like a book and showed Mr. Han with a grave expression. The music turned somber too.

"But there's a catch," he continued. "Since the nature of the contract is to prevent her death, you now take the hits for her. She falls? It's your knees that gets scraped! She gets a papercut? It's your index finger that's bleeding buddy! And if something more serious happens to her, well... you'll be the one to suffer."

The music shifted to joyful again and his energy returned. "But don't worry! Just protect her and it'll be fine," he continued. "And as an added bonus, you get a cool Dragon tattoo sleeve too! It should've appeared the moment she got near you so check it out!"

My eyes widened and I quickly checked my arms. It was there! Just as he said, there's a huge-ass Dragon tattoo on my left arm.

"But wait, there's more!"

There's more? I shouted in my heart.

"The link between you is actually not solidified yet. To finalize the contract, just give her a name that you fancy. But be sure to consult your wife about it first to avoid conflicts."

The scene transitioned again and this time, it was him on a chair with the girl sitting on his lap.

"And that's it. For further questions, do not contact me during this time as I am busy taking a vacation in the Maldives. Have fun with your new life, Andrew. And I'll see you soon."

The video then ended with a huge "The End" proudly plastered on the screen.

As the music of the video faded away, I just sat there on the sofa. Stunned. I've been in a firefight. I've confronted violent criminals on the street. But none of them dumbfounded me as much as it did this video.

As I contemplated my entire existence, a finger tapped my shoulder.

I turned and saw Maria as she held up her board in front of me.

[Let's go to the park] it said.

She was wearing a nice yellow sundress and a wide brim hat to block the sun. Meanwhile, the girl has changed into a white shirt and a denim overall. Both were clearly ready to go out.

"Look, Maria, I just watched something serious-" I began to protest.

But before I could finish, Maria scribbled on her board and presented it to me. More aggressively this time.

[It's a nice day out.]

"I understand but-"

She scribbled again and held up the sign now inches from my face.

[I made food.]

I sighed. It was clear that no matter what I said, she'd never take no for an answer.

"Just give me a second," I replied with a wry smile.

After putting on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, the three of us headed to the park in our car.

The park was located in the center of the city. On top of being a much-needed massive carbon soaker, it gave the city's inhabitants a bit of nature to enjoy on their days off. I personally haven't been here in a long time. Some of my coworkers invited me to jog with them here, but since there was a treadmill in the Headquarters, I never bothered to make the trip.

After a five-minute car ride, we arrived at an almost full parking lot. Surprising for a weekday. But then again, the population has boomed lately so there were all sorts of people with all sorts of schedules that could fit in a visit to the park.

Maria took the girl and plopped her on her shoulders again. Meanwhile, I took the basket that I assumed that had the food she made.

I must admit, my mind was still swirling from all the information that Mr. Han gave me, but I was feeling better. If it was me from a few months ago, I would've stayed at home and spiraled out of control. But now, breathing in the fresh air, listening to the sound of the nearby creek, and watching dogs and children play, I did feel a bit at ease.

I glanced at Maria and our eyes met for a bit. She gave me a slight smile and gestured for me to follow her to a nearby shade.

Ever since I met her, she's shown her unnatural ability to adapt and take care of people. In the short time that we were living in our building, she's already helped and befriended a lot of the staff and neighbors. The guys in the other room got their asses beat when they were living like slobs and Rosemary has taken a liking to her. Was this the effect of being the daughter of an organization as big as the Rodriguez Cartel?

With this in my mind, we spread the sheet under the shade and made ourselves comfortable. The three of us then just sat there in silence while eating the sandwiches that we brought. The girl also seemed to be enjoying herself too. Her tail wagged with every bite of the sandwich she made.

It was a peaceful moment. A moment of calm that set my mind at ease.

"Is it good?" I asked her.

She nodded and took another bite. "It's delicious," she replied with a mouthful.

"That's good," I said.

What should I talk about with this one? Where do I even start? Should I say sorry for almost killing her? Can I even ask that? How old is she mentally anyway?

As my mind grew to a bit of a panic, her tiny hand tapped my arm.

"I'm sorry," she said sadly.

"For what?" I asked.

"For forcing a con-tract on you," she replied. "Teacher Han said that it was something bad that I did and that I needed to tell you, sorry."

She seemed guilty about it although it was clear that she didn't understand everything. I then looked at Maria who in turn gave me a concerned look.

"It's ok," I said as I patted her on the head. "Can you tell me what else Mr. Han said?"

She paused and thought for a bit. "He told me that you're my new family now and I need to stay with you," she said.

"Do you want that?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "But I know that I don't wanna go back there."

I raised an eyebrow. "Go back where?" I asked.

"That dark place," she replied with an obvious shiver. "I was alone. It was dark. I- I-"

"Shh it's ok," I said as I caressed her hair. "You don't have to say anything. You can stay with us."

"Really?" she beamed. "Yay!"

Maria then handed her another sandwich.

This girl had nowhere to go. She made a mistake that changed her life forever and now it was on us to decide her fate.

I locked eyes with Maria, hoping that my silent gestures were enough to get my point across.

She scribbled on her board and gave me her answer.

[Give her a name]

I smiled and nodded.

"Hey you," I poked her sides. "You wanna know what Mr. Han asked me to do?"

"What is it?" she asked.

"He said that I need to give you a name," I replied.

"N...ame?" she said with a bit of difficulty. "What's that?"

"Well, it's a special word that you call yourself," I replied. "And it only belongs to you."

"Really?" she grinned. "What's your name?"

"I'm Andrew and that's Maria," I said.

"Wow those are nice names," she said. "What about me? What about me? What's my name?"

"Well..." I started but hesitated before I could say another word. I glanced at Maria who held up a very long name, most of which I couldn't pronounce. So, I chose one that was most familiar to me.

"Christina," I finally said. "Your name's Christina."

Maria gave me a thumbs up, indicating that I made the right choice.

"Christina..." the girl murmured. "Christina. Wow, my name's Christina! Thank you, dad!"

I almost choked on my own spit and coughed uncontrollably when she blurted that out.

"Who taught you to say that?" I said through a coughing fit.

She raised an eyebrow. "Teacher Han did," she replied innocently. "Why? Is it bad?"

"No, no, it's ok. It's just..." I was gonna explain everything to her, but as I looked into those pure blue eyes, I just sighed. "Nevermind. You can call me whatever you want."

"Great!" she then turned to Maria. "And that means you're mom! Teacher Han said that it's what I should call the pretty lady."

Maria clutched her chest and squeezed Christina into a tight hug.

Such a precious moment. I was glad that Maria forced me to come out of the house. I don't know if I would've made the same decisions if I ruminated at home. Even though it was a life or death situation, it was me who almost killed her. So, she was my responsibility to bear and I'll see it to the end.

But even though I've accepted my new situation, I'll still beat the shit out of Han the moment he gets back from his vacation.