Tayden ran through a long hall at great speed. The closed doors on the walls on his sides passed next to him like cars in a highway. He was headed for the door at the end of the hall. The one marked "Meeting Room".

He was late for the meeting.

Suddenly, mere metres before reaching the final door, he felt something. Something disturbing. He walked a few steps back and looked into a room whose door, oddly enough, was open.
There was a man sitting inside. All dressed in black. Dark glasses. Unfriendly face. Unpleasant aura. Reading a fashion magazine.

"Who are you?" Tayden asked, cautiously stepping into the small waiting room.

The man, who hadn't noticed Tayden until then, slowly raised his view from the magazine and looked at the ex-angel.

"You're... new, aren't you?" the dark man said, somehow managing to make those words sound offendinsive.

Tayden looked at him confused. "Well, I haven't been around here for as long as most, if that's what you mean."

"Yes," the man replied. "Yes, that's what I mean." The man stood up and left the magazine in the seat next to his.

"Please allow me to introduce myself," he said. "I'm Smith. You may call me Mr. Smith." He raised his right hand and offered it to Tayden.

Tayden's eyes widened. He looked at the hand in front of him and didn't even consider shaking it. He didn't like being unpolite, but, y'know... everyone has a limit.

After a few seconds had passed, Smith took back the hand and looked at Tayden with a grin.

"I've heard about you, Mr. Smith," Tayden said. "Not just from my team-mates. What in God's name are you doing here?"

"Nothing to do with God's name, I assure you." The Name sounded like an obscenity coming from Smith. "I've come here to make a deal with the team, concerning a common enemy..."

"I'm sure we won't accept it," Tayden interrupted.

"You need my help against Naecken," Smith said, "and I need yours. As simple as that."

That doesn't make any sense, Tayden thought. "Why do you need anyone's help for anything? From what I've heard you can take care of Naecken and his army on your own... Assuming you have a reason for wanting to stop the chaos Naecken is creating."

Smith was suddenly very serious. "I'm not the man I once was," is all he said, the mocking tone from his previous remarks completely gone.

"Are you trying to say that you've rehabilitated?!"

Smith burst into laughter. "You idiot! I am who I'm suppoused to be! I don't expect something like you to understand that, of course. But, no, what I was trying to say was that I don't have the power I once had, like I explained to your friends moments ago. Years of searching the power, years of storing it... all for one mindless composite thing to come along and take it away."

"I understand now. All you want it revenge. You wish it was you threatening the world's peace and not Naecken. And you expect us to help you achieve that." Tayden walked out of the room. "I advise you to leave the building right now, Mr. Smith. We're not gonna take your offer."

Smith grinned. "Dear boy... you don't have a choice."