Commander Reed exhaled, a long, weary sound that seemed to carry the weight of the entire broken continent. She looked up at the young woman on the stage, seeing not a student, but a burgeoning monarch.
"What are your conditions?" Reed asked, her voice raspy.
"First Condition," Mirabella began, her voice cutting through the hall like a blade. "I don't want to see her or her teammates anywhere close to the gateways." She leveled a finger at Eve, who stood paralyzed by the coldness in Mirabella's gaze.
"I am sure she already told you about the relationship between the teams," Mirabella continued, her eyes never leaving Eve's. "If I want, I can kill her right now; but I won't."
The threat hung in the air, heavy and undisputed. Mirabella's focus shifted back to the Commander.
"Second condition: I will help you take back New York State, but Manhattan will be mine from now onwards. It will be my base... My territory. These are my conditions. Will you accept them?"
