CHAPTER 75: TESTING WATERS

Alex studied the two men standing fifteen feet away, his heightened awareness cataloging details most would miss.

The taller one... Damien... kept his weight evenly distributed, ready to move in any direction.

His companion maintained visual contact while scanning their surroundings. Their clothing was unremarkable but quality, suggesting resources without drawing attention.

Most telling was their positioning: close enough for conversation, far enough to react to threats, with clear escape routes mapped.

These weren’t amateurs.

Despite their obvious capability, Alex detected no immediate malice. Their body language spoke of caution and desperation rather than aggression.

"And who are you?" Alex asked, his voice carrying neither fear nor challenge.

Damien’s eyes flickered with surprise. He’d expected fear or anger from a college student, not this calm assessment.

"We came from afar," He replied carefully, watching Alex’s face. "It’s a long story."

Alex’s expression remained neutral. In certain circles, that phrase carried specific connotations... people who operated outside normal channels.

"What kind of help?" Alex cut through whatever careful approach they’d planned.

The bluntness caught both men off guard. Dimitri’s eyebrows rose while Damien’s mouth tightened in reassessment.

They’d expected a gradual approach, but time mattered. The desperation in their posture said whatever they needed couldn’t wait for diplomacy.

"It’s about our leader, he is dying. Poisoned." His voice carried weight. "The kind that doesn’t exist in medical textbooks."

"The hospital won’t treat foreign nationals with questionable documentation. Not for something this specialized." He gestured helplessly

Alex processed the careful word choices. ’Leader’ rather than ’friend.’ Exotic toxins. Documentation issues.

Intelligence operatives, probably government or private contractors. Their leader took a hit maybe during an operation, leaving them stuck with a dying man and no official support.

"Why not try a different hospital?" Alex asked, his tone calm but probing, testing their story.

Damien’s eyes darkened with frustration. "We have. Several. But most can’t even recognize the poison... and those who could refused to treat him for obvious reasons."

Alex studied them carefully. The words weren’t excuses... they were the tight, limited truth of a desperate situation. Exotic poison. No documentation. No ordinary solution.

"And what makes you think I can help your leader?" Alex asked, his tone steady.

Damien leaned forward slightly, eyes unblinking. "We’ve seen you bring a normal family into the most restricted VIP section of Memorial Hospital. A place where they don’t even look at patients without influence or power. And yet... they bent the rules for you."

"So, you were at the hospital," he said, realizing he hadn’t even noticed being monitored.

Dimitri spoke for the first time, his accent thicker than Damien’s. "We were. We watched. We’ve also done our research." His voice carried no accusation, only certainty.

"So we know you can. The question is whether you will."

Alex studied them carefully. Beneath the professional calm, he could see the edges of desperation bleeding through.

These weren’t men used to asking for favors... they were men used to taking what they needed. But now, they had no choice.

Alex was impressed despite himself. Finding that connection required significant resources or excellent contacts.

"You’ve done your research. But knowing I have connections and assuming I’ll use them are different things."

"Which is why we’re asking, not demanding," Damien replied.

Alex stepped closer, closing the distance between them. Both men tensed but didn’t retreat.

He could see the strain more clearly now... sleepless nights, the weight of watching someone they cared about slip away.

"Can you tell me about your leader’s condition?"

"Respiratory distress, declining kidney function, neurological symptoms," Damien replied immediately. "Multiple organ failure over several weeks. Our medic estimates three weeks left, maybe less."

Sophisticated biological weapon. Whoever deployed it wanted their target to suffer and had resources to make it happen.

"And you think Memorial can treat something your medic can’t identify?"

"Memorial has the most advanced toxicology department in the region," Dimitri said. "But they won’t run tests without proper documentation and authorization."

Alex nodded, his mind calculating possibilities and consequences.

These men represented significant risk... but also potentially valuable allies.

"What are you offering in return?" Alex broke the silence.

The question surprised them. Damien’s eyebrows rose.

"You want payment?" Dimitri asked cautiously.

"I want to understand what this relationship looks like if I help you. Charity, or an exchange?"

Another glance passed between them, longer and more complex. Some decision was being made.

"What did you have in mind?" Damien asked carefully.

"That depends on who you really work for and what capabilities you bring."

Both men paused, uncertainty flickering in their expressions. The question had clearly touched on information they weren’t prepared to share freely.

The silence stretched. In the distance, traffic provided mundane backdrop to a conversation that could reshape all their lives.

"That’s... sensitive information," Damien said carefully, his professional mask slipping slightly to reveal uncertainty.

"We can’t just... " Dimitri started, then stopped himself.

Damien held up a hand, thinking. "If you decide to help us, we’ll tell you everything. Full disclosure about who we are, what we do, the operation that went wrong. And we’re ready to compensate you in whatever way we can."

Alex noted the shift in their demeanor. These were men accustomed to operational security, trained not to reveal mission details to outsiders.

The fact they were even considering it spoke to their desperation.

"But first, we need to know if you’re willing to help at all," Damien continued. "No point in compromising operational security if you’re not interested."

Alex weighed risks against opportunities. These men represented potential massive complications... but also access to capabilities money couldn’t buy.

"I need to meet your leader before I decide anything," Alex said firmly.

Damien and Dimitri exchanged a quick glance, the tension in their posture easing just slightly. They nodded, almost relieved. If Viktor could speak with him directly, there was hope.

"We can take you to him right away," Dimitri offered quickly.

Alex shook his head. "No. You go ahead first. I’ll come back after some time. You’re staying at the hospital, right?"

"Yes," Damien confirmed.

"Just so we’re clear," Alex said, memorizing the digits, "if I decide to help, it’s because I choose to. Not pressure, not threats, not because you think you understand my situation. Clear?"

"Crystal," Damien replied, respect evident.

As Alex walked back toward his car, he felt their eyes on him. The conversation had raised as many questions as it answered.

But one thing was certain... his carefully maintained separation between ordinary life and powerful circles was about to be tested.

Starting his engine, Alex glanced in his rearview mirror as the two men returned to their sedan.

Whatever decision he made would determine whether they became allies, enemies, or strangers who’d passed through his life during crisis.

As the sedan disappeared around the corner, Alex remained standing beside his car, processing what had just occurred.

The silence of the industrial district felt heavier now, pregnant with implications he was only beginning to understand.

Then her voice came, warm honey laced with silk, purring directly into his consciousness.

"What a good opportunity."

Alex didn’t flinch at Lilith’s sudden voice in his head... he’d grown accustomed to her appearances, though her timing never ceased to surprise him.

"Why do you think it’s a good opportunity?" he asked aloud, knowing she could hear his thoughts just as clearly.

"Do you think they are normal people?"

Alex considered the question, replaying the encounter. "No, they’re professionals. Very experienced ones, that much I can tell."

Lilith’s laughter was like velvet brushing against his mind. "You’re underestimating them very much. Even the second one could beat you into pulp, let alone the one you were talking to."

The words hit Alex like a physical blow. "What? What do you mean?"

His confidence had been absolute just moments before. He was at peak human potential... faster, stronger, more perceptive than anyone had a right to be.

The idea that these men, however professional, could pose a physical threat seemed impossible.

"My dear Alex," Lilith’s voice carried that particular tone of patient instruction he’d come to recognize, "you know nothing about this world. Well, how could you? Normal people don’t have any information about these types of people. There are conspiracy theories, but they get shut down before they even start."

Alex felt his worldview shifting beneath him like unstable ground. "What are you saying?"

"They are among the strongest people of certain organizations. So it really is an opportunity that they met you." Her voice grew more calculating.

"The good opportunity I was talking about is that they’re desperate. If you can help them, they’ll be grateful to you. You can ask them to work for you. Simple."

Alex’s mind reeled, processing implications that challenged everything he thought he knew. The confidence he’d felt during the confrontation now seemed naive, even dangerous.

A crucial question formed in his mind. "Didn’t you tell me I’m at peak human potential?"

"You are," Lilith confirmed, her tone matter-of-fact. "But who says they are normal humans?"

The industrial wasteland around Alex suddenly felt less empty, more ominous.

If these men represented something beyond normal human capability, then everything he thought he understood about his own position in the world needed recalibration.

"Then what are they?" he asked quietly.

***

Author’s Note:

Yup, who are they exactly? What makes them operate beyond normal human limits while Alex, despite reaching peak human potential, would still be outmatched? The layers of this world are just starting to peel back, and Alex is discovering that his understanding of what’s possible has been rather limited.

Well, we’ll come to know all of that in the future. Some revelations are worth the anticipation.