"Why the visit, four forty-nine? Did you miss me?"
Mark began to rethink his decision to come down here.
"Just here to talk."
"Oh really? By this time? I may not have a clock, but I'm pretty sure it's not dawn yet."
An evil smile appeared on the agent's face.
"Tell me the truth, four-forty-nine. Is it your hormones? Looking to satisfy your lust?"
Gross, thought Mark.
"I need your help, Greta."
"Words I never thought I'd hear from you. So, is it your hormones?"
"No... Stop saying hormones. I only need some information."
"Information. Yes… We all need information. Information is power, and you seem to think such power comes freely."
Greta pulled out a seat and sat facing Mark.
"I can give you all the 'information' you want," she continued, "but I must ask for something in return."
"I can't free you, Greta. I don't even know how to do that."
"Oh, I'm right where I need to be, thank you. Can't imagine being far from you, four-forty-nine."
Mark was hit with a sudden urge to leave the prison at once.
"My name's Marcus. Or just Mark."
"Pardon me, Mark." Greta mocked his tone. "Well, I can't say no to you, but I will need some information from you as well."
That sounded reasonable to Mark.
"Alright then. What do you want to know?" he asked.
Greta smiled mischievously. She had anticipated this very question.
"Tell me, Mark... how many powers have you acquired?"
Mark could not hide his shock.
"What?"
"Oh... Don't look so appalled. I trained you for ten years, remember. Too bad we couldn't make you submit."
If by training you mean beating me up until I lost consciousness, then sure, Mark thought.
"You know about my real powers?" Mark asked.
"Of course. You were never just a Weatherborn. Why do you think Zorn kept you alive?"
Mark kept mute. In his mind, the dots slowly began to connect.
"We discovered early enough that your powers were unique. I never really understood the… science, but our mission was to make you the ultimate weapon."
"So you know what I am. Tell me what I am."
"Ah ah ah…" Greta shook her left index finger and crossed her legs. "I asked you a question, Mark. How many powers have you acquired?"
Mark shrugged. "Three?"
"Hmmm… Not strong enough yet."
"What do you mean 'not strong enough'? Why did you even ask?"
"Oh… You'll find out soon enough."
Mark's frustration became apparent to both.
"I don't have time for your games. Tell me what I am!"
Greta began to laugh hysterically, which only annoyed Mark even more.
The lights in the prison began to flicker.
"Ooh…" Greta stared at the lights in her cell. "He's getting angry. You've gotten stronger than I thought."
Mark was quick to realize he was losing control of his emotions. Natalya's words rang in his head, and he regained his calm.
"You know what? Forget it. That's not even why I'm here."
Greta kept silent, staring at Mark with her dark hazel eyes.
"I answered your question." Mark continued. "Now you're going to answer mine."
"I won't."
"What? You just said that we were going to share information."
"Well... The information you need from me is really valuable to you, so the price just went up."
Mark slapped his forehead. Then he realized he had been doing that a lot lately.
Greta continued. "If I give you the information you want, what's in it for me?"
"Lemme see..." Mark placed his forefinger across his jaw. "Oh right. You get to live another day."
"Oh, please. You can't intimidate me. Besides, you people could have killed me long ago if I weren't important."
"You know what?" Mark shook his head. "This was a mistake. See you in ten years, Greta."
Mark turned to leave when Greta ran to the edge of her cell and banged on it.
"Don't leave me here, Marky. It's so lonely. Just stay a few more minutes, I promise to say whatever you want."
Mark considered the offer for a while, then returned to his former position.
"I have only one question..."
"Okay... Let me guess," Greta interrupted. "You want to know who killed your mother."
Once again, Mark couldn't hide his shock. Greta was excellent at reading him, just like Natalya.
"Not that face again. I raised you for ten years, Mark. I can tell what's on your mind."
"Tell me who did it."
"Well, I don't know."
"What?"
"I don't know."
Greta shrugged to emphasize her words.
"How do you not know?" Mark asked, his voice indicating his disappointment. "You were the first responders at my house. Surely there must have been some sort of… investigation?"
"Not really. You were the only suspect. Case closed."
"I told you many times that I was innocent! You didn't even try to find out the truth!"
"Don't yell at me… I only took orders from Zorn."
"So why am I even talking to you?"
Mark turned around and walked to the door, disappointed. Coming to the prison without a permit was a risk to his new position in the Resistance. And it turned out to be a complete waste of time.
"Wait… There's something else."
Mark paused. He couldn't tell if Greta was being sincere or just trying to bait him. But since he was already down there, he waited.
"What is it?"
Greta sighed. For the first time in years, she wore a straight look.
"At the agency, we were taught to follow orders. Regardless of the fallout. Believe it or not, our sole mission is to keep the world safe."
Go straight to the point, woman.
"There was another suspect."
"Who?" Mark asked impatiently.
"I'll probably be killed for telling you this but hey, I've lived long enough. And I'm thrilled I got to spend most of that time with you, dear boy."
"Oh for God's sake, just give me the name."
"Okay... Quit the pressure. I'm doing you a favor here."
Greta let out a long sigh before she continued.
"The man you're looking for is John Parallax."
Mark suddenly felt a wave of ease flush through his body.
"John Parallax?" he repeated. "Who's that?"
"Only the most powerful powerborn we've ever encountered. Also, he's a ruthless bounty hunter, who captures other powerborns for the Agency."
Mark swallowed. He knew that whoever killed his mother was going to be dangerous, but hearing about a powerborn who hunted other powerborns sent chills down his spine.
"Around the time of your mother's death, he was in Grandview City. But we never investigated him for … obvious reasons."
"He was your tool."
Greta smiled once again. "Clever boy."
Mark had finally gotten what he wanted. A name. Without another word, he turned around to leave.
"Not even a thank you?" Greta remarked. "That's rude."
Mark was almost out the prison door when Greta called out again.
"You want one final piece of advice?"
At the sound of her voice, Mark halted and turned towards her cell.
"If you're thinking of going after him. Don't."
"And why is that?"
Greta gave a dramatic pause before she spoke.
"He's the one who destroyed Grandview City. And he did it all by himself."