"Commander" Wright

I looked the boy up and down, thinking about how I should approach him in order to turn him into a useful subordinate. He seemed to be quite simple-minded, and very easy to please. If I were to show him some "goodwill" and provide him with a better life than he had at the organization, he might be loyal to me in the future.

I put some of the money he gathered in my wallet and got up from the bed. "Follow me," I ordered the boy. "We're going out." It was still fairly early in the evening, there should be some shops open.

I took him to a cheap clothing store nearby. The boy kept glancing at me all the way, but hasn't said a word. He must have been still feeling uneasy in my presence. Honestly, I would prefer to keep it that way, but with the type of person he seemed to be, I could probably benefit from him more by acting somewhat nice.

I decided to at least give it a shot. I could always get back to intimidating him if things got too annoying.

"Pick some clothes for yourself," I said as we entered the store.

The boy stared at me in disbelief. "Can I…?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Isn't that what I just said? You've earned enough money, so I can get you a few things."

The boy didn't need to be told the third time. He quickly started rushing around the store, looking for suitable clothes. He was definitely glad to be able to finally replace that pink jacket.

I observed him, leaning against a pillar. He was checking the prices of every item, and putting some back on the hangers afterward. I was glad to see that he was mindful of the cost. It would spare me having to reject his choices. Although I offered to buy him clothes, I wasn't willing to spend too much money on him, after all.

In fact, I would prefer to just steal the clothes instead, but it was difficult when having the boy around. I wouldn't be able to run away so easily, and we could get caught by the security cameras. But I had a good reason to take him with me this time.

The main purpose of this trip was to teach him that if he completes my orders well, he will get rewarded accordingly. I simply wanted to motivate him to work hard.

Ten minutes later, he was done. I checked everything he picked before going to the register, and nodded at him, expressing my approval. He only brought essential items, and all of them were very cheap, probably the cheapest you could find here.

With how little I spent, I didn't mind sparing some extra cash to take him for dinner. In a cheap chain restaurant, of course. I still couldn't go out, since I was not fully healed, so I had a lot of time to spare.

And I needed to stop by the drug store, to pick something up for later.

***

After the shopping and the meal, the boy was in an excellent mood, smiling stupidly all the time. It was the best time to continue the interrogation.

I sat down on the bed, lighting a cigarette. "Alright then, remember what I asked you to do yesterday? Tell me everything you know about that commander of yours."

"Commander Jordan Wright?" The boy sat down across from me. "He's not actually my commander. He's from a different department, but was allowed to lead this mission."

"Are you so busy that there is absolutely no one else available?" I asked with a frown. Were they underestimating me so much that they were just willing to send someone completely unqualified? It might have made things easier for me, but was annoying nevertheless.

However, the boy shook his head in response. "No, I don't think so. But I've heard that Commander Wright has been trying to transfer to the Field Division for a long time. So maybe they gave him this mission as a trial?"

"And they left all of you, newbies who haven't even completed their training, under the care of somebody so inexperienced?" I couldn't help but smirk. The organization was such a mess that it should be easy to get that boy to turn his back on it completely.

He didn't seem to have given it a thought before, but now that I pointed it out, his expression changed. He looked a bit saddened and hurt upon discovering with how much disregard he was treated.

"And that commander, too. He had completely no issue throwing your lives away. Is that how the subordinates are supposed to be treated?" I continued.

Well, I would honestly do exactly the same, but there was no need for the boy to know that.

The boy remained silent, thinking deeply. After a while, he finally lifted his head. "It was my first mission, so I'm not sure… But I think usually we don't have this many casualties. It's just that Commander Wright…" He paused, hesitating, as if he was about to say something bad. "Well, there are rumors that he hates all the outliers. Even the organization. Maybe that's why…"

"Then why is he in the organization?" I couldn't understand. Was he trying to destroy it from the inside or something? But in such a case, he shouldn't let it show. He should be a perfect, dedicated member.

"Because he hates rogues even more." The boy's answer contradicted my theory.

Well, that would explain it. If he wanted to just get rid of as many outliers as possible, his actions so far made a lot of sense. I still thought he was an idiot, though. Cause…

"Won't he get in trouble for letting so many agents die on a single mission, against one rogue?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. He's in a high position. Don't people like that usually get away with a lot?"

He had a point. I guess outliers were still human. And just like any other organization humans created, that "Trans-Reality Something" was full of corruption as well.