***

"Only enemies speak the truth; friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty."

-Stephen King

Word Count 1349

***

The previous day had been a plethora of many things for the marshal.

Just as Kal had expected, after their man-to-man conversation, Marshal Pentecost had sought Tendo's technical skills to search for his identity.

But the question was? Had they succeeded?

Yes.

Everything about him had been clean, up to the very minute details.

His origins showed that he was American but his deceased parents were British. 

His parents had been rich and as the sole inheritor of their family riches, he didn't lack anything.

His biodata also showed his academic prowess with several doctorates linked to his name. A perfect testimony of a genius.

But why did Marshal Pentecost feel uneasy about all this information?

They had run through many background checks of anyone connected to this mysterious man and they hadn't found anything out of place.

Everything had been perfect.

This just showed how useful the AI was.

Unknown to all except for Kal, Yelena had executed all of this prior to his departure to Anchorage in Alaska.

Being a stressful night, Marshal Pentecost didn't have an iota of satisfying sleep.

Apart from the headache caused by Kal, he was a man haunted by his own nightmares.

Next thing in the morning, Marshal couldn't curb his anticipation and called for Kal.

He needed his answers. Humanity needed all the help that it could get.

With no concrete knowledge about the true origins of the Kaijus and the fissure between two tectonic plates, even possible theories were always welcomed.

But Marshal was on edge since time was running out.

He had the council breathing down his neck, waiting for any misstep on his part.

Only time would tell.

"Gentleman, Jennie… I see you have already met each other," Marshal Pentecost greeted the duo who had just arrived.

"How was your night, Mr. El?" Marshal Pentecost's eyes had never left the masculine figure of Kal dressed in an elegant Armani suit. 

The man was as confident as always as if nothing could ever get out of his control, Marshal thought.

If people had to compare, they would even wonder who was the true marshal between them.

Or was it that Kal looked perfect in any type of clothes?

Kal met Marshal Pentecost's gaze with amusement in his vivid, fantastical blue eyes.

"I had a wonderful night, Marshal. Slept like an undead." 

"What about you, Marshal? Did you have a comfortable sleep?" No one could sense the sarcasm in his eyes.

"Slept like a baby," Marshal Pentecost replied casually. There was no hesitation in his speech.

"Oh." Kal just nodded. Marshal Pentecost could easily hoodwink his subordinates but not him.

His eyes were all-seeing. Literally.

"What about you, Ms. Hale? How are you currently feeling?" Marshal Pentecost turned his attention to the curvy blonde.

"I feel… normal. Yeah, I think normal's the word to describe the current me," Jennie Hale replied matter-of-factly.

"Good then." Marshal Pentecost gave her a curt nod.

"Also since you have already met Mr. Kal here, I think it would be better to also tell you that he was the savior of both you and your sister," He added while gesturing his hand toward Kal.

"E-Ehhh?" Jennie exclaimed while shifting her whole body weight so that she was squarely looking at Kal.

She couldn't believe that the man who she had shared a meal with and talked to, like a long-term friend, was both hers and her sister's lifesaver.

Just how coincidental could it get? Was that what they term as 'the strings of fate'?

It felt like a…

"Cliche." Jennie found herself murmuring before she could stop her lips.

"Pardon?" Kal smiled, pretending not to have heard her.

"I-I mean, uh, I am very, very thankful to you for saving our lives." She was flustered at the notion that he had heard her.

"I know my words alone can't amount to anything since what you did was in itself incalculable. I think I will do anything that you want. Even if it's just one next-to-impossible task. I really owe you my life." Jennie found herself talking nonstop, her expression and actions as sincere as possible.

It was all from the heart.

Kal blandly waved his hand in dismissal. "Hey, I did what I did on a whim. Don't stress yourself out with unnecessary thoughts."

"But-" She found herself instinctively protesting.

"Shhh… hush, I said I don't need anything in return. I have no use for your mortal life, dear." Kal trapped her smooth, delicate chin between his index finger and thumb before raising her slightly bowed head.

And it was true, he currently really didn't see any value in Jennie except for being attractive, funny, and…

"Raise your head. We will talk later on if you insist…" He deadpanned while releasing her chin from his hold.

Kal then turned to Marshal Pentecost who was patiently waiting for their little performance to end.

"Marshal, I am ready."

"Jennie, leave us." Marshal Pentecost ordered without looking at her.

"If you will excuse me…" She nodded at Marshal and then at Kal, her eyes lingering more on him, and winked sexily before leaving.

"So… What do you wanna know?" Kal asked while adorning a serious expression. You might have thought that he was someone who had humanity's best interest.

Before Marshal Pentecost could open his mouth, Kal raised his finger to stop him.

"Strictly on Kaijus." 

Marshal Pentecost sighed before saying, "Alright, gentleman. No deviation."

"I also hope you did your part well, marshal."

"Don't worry about that. Your workstation is nice and ready, just awaiting your presence." 

Kal smiled and gave the sign for Marshal Pentecost to satisfy his curiosity.

"I searched you up from the net and I found your details… Quantum mechanics, information science, and a few other doctorates… should I just call you, Dr. El, or Professor El instead?" Marshal started amusedly.

Kal paused in his stance, arched his brow, and then chuckled lightly. "I prefer the anonymity, marshal. I feel no need for such honorifics." Just how pretentious could he get after falsifying his records?

"Ahem… well, tell me what you know about the Kaijus."

Kal pursed his lips. "Kaijus are mindless, alien giants - the suicidal bombers sent to cull the human population until there's eventually nothing left."

"That I know… professor."

"Hmm, don't you think they have a leader or something? Some sort of, uh, a stratification that governs their emergence?" Kal's eyes shone brightly. 

His rather vague question poked at Marshal Pentecost's interest.

"Yeah, they have. Or how else could we explain how they keep targeting areas where the population is mostly concentrated?"

Marshal Pentecost found the current situation to be one that called for every ounce of his patience or else, he would be needlessly irritated.

He noticed that Kal had a way with words.

Kal smirked when he saw the marshal on his best behavior.

"The Kaijus are the minions, servants for a much bigger threat - I call them the Precursors, the ones who were before us, the ones who have been in existence even before the events of the continental drift."

"This alien race, colonists, just want the mass extinction of humanity."

Marshal Pentecost frowned. "How do you know all of this? Pre… those pre-beings? How do you know all of this information?"

Yeah, he felt doubtful. He couldn't believe it since he was more practical in terms of knowledge.

But the man in front of him was no ordinary guy. He was built differently than anyone he knew.

Kal released a soft laugh. 'This is the part that I have been waiting for.'

He smiled smugly and then opened his arms wide in a gesture of referring to himself.

"Marshal, I have been to the Breach!"

"Seen the precursors up close with my own two eyes."

Truly ostentatious.

Marshal Pentecost fumed.

Nothing. And he meant nothing could easily pass through that inter-dimensional tunnel!

Was the professor mad?!

And how the hell did he pass through it?!

***