Page 31 of Red Scale Daddy
“That is not a sustainable strategy.”
“It is when the plan stops working.”
“The plan will work.”
He lets out a quiet, almost amused breath. “You really believe that.”
“I know it.”
“And when it doesn’t?”
“It will.”
“And when it doesn’t?”
The repetition presses against something I refuse to acknowledge.
“It will,” I say again.
He watches me for a moment longer, then shifts slightly, resting his weight against the frame with deliberate ease. “You’re not afraid of dying.”
“I am not planning to.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“I am not interested in philosophical distinctions.”
“You should be,” he says. “They keep you alive longer.”
I turn away before irritation sharpens into something less controlled. “If I were to consider this—which I am not confirming—I would establish terms.”
His eyes change, interest sharpening. “Good. I like terms.”
“You do not.”
“I like testing them.”
“That is precisely the problem.”
I begin outlining conditions anyway.
“This is my vessel. My mission. My command. You follow instructions without deviation unless immediate survival requires otherwise.”
“That’s a big exception.”
“It is a necessary one.”
“And if your instructions are wrong?”
“They won’t be.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It is the only one you are getting.”
He studies me, then nods once, slow and thoughtful. “All right.”
I narrow my eyes slightly. “That was too easy.”
