Entering the office of Leonardo Sterling, I saw a lot more burgundy. The walls, the chairs, even the ceiling. Although dark, it was a strangely cosy looking room, most of its furniture brown, a few plants rooted here and there, and many other nameless decors. 

He pulled a chair out for me before sitting in his own all-high-status-looking chair. I explained the twisted history of 202 to him, whilst he listened with attentive ears. I told the story the way Director had told it to me (something warned me that I'd get a lot more than cold glares from Everest if I breathed a word about the Original Cure to Leonardo Sterling). In the end the story was that the formula for 202 was always wrong, and that was it (I also cut out that abomination of an affair with Reynolds Corporation).

"So," he said, "they want you dead because 202 isn't efficient – in fact it's deadly – so, to cover up the fact that you it's the 202 that killed you – if you die – they planned on killing you off beforehand, so that the cause of your death can pinned on a something that has nothing to do with 202?"

I nodded. 

"And by doing this, they figured that they'd still be able to sell it?"

I nodded. 

"And, Gemma has found the counter cure for 202, which I've verified for sales under the impression that it's a typical antibiotic?"

"That's pretty much it."

"How?" he inquired. 

"Well, Director's pretty much mental—"

"No, I meant, how did Gemma manage to find a counter cure for 202? How did she know that there was anything wrong with 202 in the first place?"

Ah, crap. 

I itched my chin, followed by my ear, thinking hard for an elaborate lie. It was useless. "Uh... well, you see... I— I don't know?"

Leonardo raised an unconvinced eyebrow. "Emerald, if you want me to help you, you need to tell me the truth," he said like a father giving his son some fatherly advice. 

"I am telling you the truth!" –Ish. 

"The whole truth."

"You just want the tea," I muttered –and regretted as soon as he replied:

"So there is something you're not telling me."

"Fine! Yes!" I gave in. "But I can't!"

"Why not?" His voice remained as legato as ever. 

"Because... because— it's too complicated, it's too unsafe."

"Nothing you say will leave this room," he assured me. 

I eyed him suspiciously. 

"Would it help if I said 'cross my heart and hope to die'?" he offered. 

"Maybe."

"Then," there was a mischievous smile playing on his lips, "I solemnly swear upon mine beating muscle that 'tis the truth I have spoken, and if it is to be a lie, I pray to plunge mineself into most merciless death."

I face palmed myself. "Just become a playwright, already."

He grinned. "So are you ready to speak the truth – the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

And so, syllable by syllable, word by word, sentence by sentence, I unraveled the truth – the whole truth and nothing, but the truth... okay, I may have added a few carefully handpicked adjectives to describe Gemma – which Leonardo gave the curtsy to smile at in an amused fashion. 

However, all the while, it felt almost... traitorous. It felt traitorous to reveal everything to a third party – even if it was it a very cool third party. Surely, there was a reason why no one knew about the origination of the Original Cure. Surely, there was a reason why no one knew about the Reynolds attack. And here I was, spilling all of these secrets to a guy I had only met a couple of hours ago. On the other hand, it wasn't as if I deliberately wanted to tell him everything. It was simply an act of necessity... or something along those lines. 

Throughout the whole explanation, Leonardo did nothing but listen with the occasional nod and widening of brown eyes. Once I had finished, he flexed his fingers a couple of times in a thoughtful way, and asked, "how?" 

"How what?" 

"How did Gemma manage to pass her counter cure as an ordinary antibiotic?"

I shrugged. "Beats me."

"How did I not see?" he pondered more to himself than me. 

"Because you didn't test it on anything else. She told you it was for antibiotic- resistant strains of bacteria for influenza, right?"

"Yeah. So naturally the FDA would have—"

"Only tested it for antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria for influenza!" we finished at the same time.

"But it still doesn't make sense," he said. "Gemma still wouldn't be allowed to release her drug as a counter cure specifically for 202 on the market. According to her FDA report, she is only allowed sell it as a prescription for influenza. So, why did she go to the troubles of hiding the fact that it was a counter cure for 202—?"

Then it clicked. I slammed by hand down on Leonardo's brown desk with so much enthusiasm, it made him jump a little. "Because she doesn't want the world to know that there is something wrong with 202! Just yet," I added. "Think about it. If she told you: an FDA commissioner who's responsible for the release of  202 – that there's something wrong with 202, you are obviously going to prevent 202 from release. That would make her drug useless; there's no point in creating an anti-cure for 202 if no one is going to take 202 in the first place. But!" I shouted in a sudden state of excitement, "if she tells you that her drug is for influenza – and influenza only – then, you wouldn't know that there is anything wrong with 202, so you'd allow its release. And after the world realises that they're screwed, Gemma will strut in with her counter-cure and save the day. Just imagine all those dollar bills."

He stared at me for a whole minute without a blink. Then: "If you ever need a job, just remember, I'd turn down Einstein to have you as my secretary."

"You're just saying that." 

"I'm not! I mean, sure I'd have to ask my father – he sort of owns this whole place—"

"Your father owns this whole place?" I interrupted. 

"Yes – even that plant over there," he pointed sardonically at a plant in the corner of his office. 

"Wait," I stopped him. "I thought you..."

"Someday. Maybe. If I don't pursue my dream of becoming a world famous rockstar," he sort of smiled at his own joke. "But, yeah Doctor Zaramo Sterling owns all twenty four hospitals in twenty four states, but I guess all that burden is to be passed down to me soon. He's old," Leonardo added in a whisper. 

I visibly turned the name Zaramo on my tongue. 

"My father's half Tanzanian," he explained, noticing me do this. "Half American, hence the last name Sterling," he added, as I took in his tanned complexion and

curly hair. "My mother's Italian so I've been privileged with a highly Italian name like Leonardo and a highly American middle name like Jared. 

"Wow. That's half Italian, quarter Tanzanian and quarter American. You're exotic."

He smiled. "So, what happened to the Original Cure?"

"Oh, it got destroyed in the Reynolds attack," I responded, back to reality. 

"No, I mean the boy. What happened to him?" Alright, I didn't tell him the part about Director trying to kill me using Everest, either. What? It would have just confused him, all that blood fusion business. Instead, since Leonardo didn't know anything about the abnormalities that the radiation caused, I vaguely described that whole episode as "Director tried to kill me."

"Oh, Everest. He, you know— morphed into an ice berg," I muttered under my breath. 

"What was that?"

"Nothing. He's... around and about." —twenty minutes away. 

Leonardo seemed to be flipping Everest's name around in his mouth the way I did with his father's name. 

"What?" I asked. 

"Nothing, it just sounds vaguely familiar."

Vaguely familiar!

"What? What?" I practically leapt over the table. "Tell me everything! Anything!"

"Woah, woah, relax. All I'm saying is that I've heard his name before."

I sat back down in my chair. "Well, yeah, Mount Everest is a thing."

"No, not that... it was a long time ago. I was probably a kid. Have you ever met him?"

"Well, I mean— yeah." Oh, what the heck! "He came to the States with me to find Gemma."

"Why isn't he with you?"

"Someone had to stay at Reynolds Corporation."

"So, you ditched him." 

"What? No, I didn't." 

Leonardo chuckled. "I'm kidding. Why were you so excited when I recalled his name? Don't tell me you travelled all the way here with someone you know nothing about."

I scoffed. "That's exactly what happened."

He blinked several times. "Did you at least try to ask him—"

I held my hand up. "Let's not go there. Anyway I guess we used to be friends." 

"You guess?" 

"Like I remember any of it. Director wiped my memory after the Reynolds attack to create 202," I stated, factually. 

"He... what?"

I shrugged, "probably with a memory serum or something."

"Why is the Front, like, centuries ahead of the rest of the world?"

"They are a bunch of evil geniuses. That's why I need your help. You need to postpone the release of 202 and Gemma's counter-cure. Make them run more trials or fill out new FDA report, whatever!" I yelled, flaying my hands about. 

"Calm down," he said. 

I fixed my composure. 

"Breathe. Okay?"

I nodded. 

"You can manage that much, right?"

I rolled my eyes. 

"Kidding. And don't worry, I will postpone the release of 202 and Gemma's drug – which is unnamed, still, so it wasn't going to be released anytime soon, anyway."

I smiled. "Okay, good. Good." I got up. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"I hope to see you soon," I said, at the door. 

"You too, Em."

"Bye, Jared."

"Leonardo."