Lord watched as the team approached. They moved with coordination, spreading out without needing to speak, each one naturally taking position. Their weapons stayed lowered, but not ignored. There was caution in the way they carried themselves, but no panic. They were trained well enough to hide it.
That was better.
One of them stepped forward, clearly leading the group. He stopped at a reasonable distance, leaving enough space between them to react if necessary.
"We're not here to escalate this," the man said, his tone calm and controlled. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."
Lord looked at him briefly before responding. "You approached me," he said. "So proceed."
The man gave a small nod, accepting that without hesitation. "You were recorded inside a restricted facility earlier today. There was no sign of forced entry, and no system detected your arrival. We'd like to understand how you gained access."
Lord's expression didn't change. "You're asking the wrong question," he said. "There was nothing preventing me from being there."
A few of the agents shifted slightly at that, but the man in front stayed focused. "Our systems say otherwise."
"Your systems are limited," Lord replied, almost casually. "They measure what they're designed to measure. I don't fall within that range."
There was a brief pause, but the man didn't push back. Instead, he adjusted.
"Understood. Then let me rephrase. How are you moving between locations without being observed?"
Lord glanced at him, then briefly past him, taking in the rest of the team before answering. "The concept of distance here is more rigid than it needs to be. I don't rely on it."
That didn't fully explain anything, but it confirmed enough.
The man took a breath, shifting the direction of the conversation. "Alright. Then let's keep this simple. Who are you?"
Lord considered the question for a moment—not because it was difficult, but because it wasn't useful. "You wouldn't have a meaningful way to interpret that answer," he said.
"Try us."
Lord met his gaze again. "I'm not from this world. That should be enough for now."
That answer was enough to cause a subtle shift in the group. Nothing dramatic—just a slight tightening of posture, a quick glance exchanged between two of them. The man in front didn't move.
"Not from this world," he repeated. "And your arrival here wasn't intentional?"
"No," Lord said. "But my continued presence is."
That landed differently.
The man nodded once, processing it. "Then I'll ask this clearly. What are your intentions while you're here?"
Lord didn't hesitate. "To understand how this world functions," he said. "And determine what value it holds."
There was no threat in his tone, but it didn't need one.
The man's expression stayed neutral, though his focus sharpened slightly. "And in the process of doing that, are you planning to interfere with anything under our control?"
"You're already operating outside your control," Lord said. "I'm simply not ignoring it."
That created tension—not panic, but pressure.
The man held his position. "Let me be direct. If your actions put people at risk, we're going to respond. That's not optional."
Lord looked at him for a moment, then asked, just as evenly, "With what?"
Silence followed.
No one answered right away.
The man exhaled slowly through his nose, then gave a small nod. "That's a fair question," he admitted.
For a moment, the tension shifted. It didn't disappear, but it settled into something more grounded.
The man adjusted his stance slightly before continuing. "We're not here to start a conflict. We're trying to understand what we're dealing with so we don't create one by mistake."
Lord recognized the shift in approach immediately.
"That is a more effective method," he said. "You're aware that you lack the necessary information, and you're adjusting accordingly."
The man gave a slight nod. "We try to."
Lord studied him for another moment before continuing. "You're attempting to establish control over a situation you don't understand. That won't be successful."
The man didn't react to that. He simply asked, "Then what should we be doing?"
That was a better question.
"Observing," Lord said. "Learning. The same thing I'm doing."
The man considered that, then nodded once. "Then we're aligned—for now."
Lord didn't respond to that directly, but he didn't disagree either.
The conversation had reached its natural end. Neither side had gained control, but neither had lost it either. For now, that was enough.