𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐌𝐏𝐇 || ʜᴀᴡᴋꜱ

32 ➟ In which I become part of a 'new world order'.

"Eradicate the pros?" I mirrored the man's words, frankly surprised by his straightforwardness. He was completely serious, there was no doubt about that, his whole demeanour shifted, from that of a toddler to that of a serious man of his age.

"Exactly."

"And how, if you don't mind me asking, do you intend to do that?" I scanned over everyone at the table, all their expressions just as serious as that of the Librarians.

"By collecting all the puzzle pieces," he replied, as if it were a completely obvious answer, "And you're my final piece."

"In what way?"

"Don't you think it's obvious? You were cherry-picked by the commission of all people- not only does that increase your authenticity, it means that you have increased knowledge of the commission itself."

"I don't know much- they were secretive with the public, they weren't much more open with their trainees either," I answered truthfully.

Beginning this mission wasn't my choice. I had to work for the commission if I ever wanted to live a 'free' life without facing ten years of missed jail time. This felt almost the same, although this time, I was given a choice. Albeit one that I probably didn't actually have but the idea of one was gifted to me without the threat of jail.

The real threat was probably much more sinister, hiding in breaths between words, but part of me really did appreciate the choice.

"You need to stop belittling yourself, you're an asset, one I'd like to add to my collection."

He had me until 'collection'.

My whole life I'd been part of a collection, the happiest moments of my life were when I wasn't part of one. I might have been raked back in, but the prospects of getting out had been promised and seemed much higher than before. An idea that I was willing to believe with quite a lot of my soul, seemingly naively.

If I were to say yes, I'd be part of a collection used specifically to 'eradicate the pros'. Although I had been annoyed by a pro over the years, be it on TV or by purely circumstantial meetings, I didn't think that Hawks was annoying enough to be 'eradicated'.

If I were to say yes- I'd know what they were targeting- who they were targeting. I could stop them.

Then I'd really be a hero.

The thing I'd trained to be all my life.

No one was in my ear, guiding me on what to do. Rin wasn't in my head, reading the situation, giving me an outside perspective. I was on my own and this was my decision to make.

"What do you want me to do?"

Apparently, the question took the Librarian by surprise, as he raised an eyebrow, a smirk pulling at the corner of his already smiling mouth that bore a crooked look about it, pulling it into an even wider smile.

"I want you to do exactly what you're doing," he began, "but you'll tell me everything."

"And what do I get in return?" I queried, genuinely curious as to what his incentive may be.

And if anyone said 'freedom' I was going to throw a fit. This wasn't some theoretical past where people ended bloodlines for freedom and then died and turned into a bird or something along those lines.

Either way, at that point I was pretty sure I was about to agree to the man's terms because, at the end of the day, it got me closer to the end of this mission much faster than anything else probably would.

"You get to be part of a new world order," he smiled, "an order where true power lies with those who'll actually use it for the better. Take All Might, for example, a ridiculous man in spandex who does nothing but save the weak- when he should be lifting up those with power with what influence he has. The weak," he chuckled, raising a fistful of crips up to his mouth, "should die." With that, he shovelled the handful into his mouth, masticating awfully loudly in a way that made every visible face around the table grimace. "So what do you say? Yes?"