They told us some days would be hard. It was to be expected in this line of work, but what happened in the warehouse was something that could have been avoided completely if I had just followed the rules and regulations.

Acting without consulting my superior and assuming duty without my suit or a full team. I was lucky to only be given a single strike against my name. Others have been fired and blacklisted for less.

Of course, none of that can compare to the pain I feel over losing a client. She had been right there. She had acknowledged her own name.

Standing in the launch bay, I looked through the glass. From the top of headquarters, all Central Ardour was on display. Every building had its purpose, and so did every person within them.

“Maggie, what you did today has disappointed me greatly.”

Dr Bourne’s words stung me, filling my veins with a throbbing ache that brought tears to my eyes. He was the one who recommended me to the department, and here I was tarnishing his reputation. I did not deserve to be here.

“I’ll resign tonight.” I replied, feeling my mouth grow dry.

Through the window’s reflection, I watched as he drew close to me. His expression had grown stern.

“I’m going to have to ask you to stop there, Margaretta. You’ll be doing us a disservice if you leave now.”

I wiped my tears away with my thumb and turned to face my mentor.

“With all due respect Sir, I have made a mockery out of the department. If I stay-”

“We are understaffed as it is. We lost another counsellor just last week.”

He placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently.

“You made a poor judgement today, but with experience comes wisdom. Learn from this experience and come out of it a wiser person.”

I gave my mentor a small nod, which seemed to satisfy him enough that he turned and left. All I could think about was the bullet entering the doe’s head. The man who had fired the fatal shot had been arrested, but whether he will go to prison for his crime is yet to be determined. Knowing Ardour’s legal system, he’ll most likely be let off through the Client Self-Defence Law.

In a kind of spacey dream state, I headed towards the launch bay’s exit. I was eager to leave headquarters, get on the monorail and spend a few hours in the shower.

I was not expecting Mateo to be waiting for me in the doorway, his cheeks wet with tears.

“Why didn’t you tell them the truth?” He asked.

I looked the protector up and down. His clothes were still covered in black blood from the client. There was a bracelet on his wrist from the medic bay. I felt my hands ball into fists by my sides.

“Because I know you’re not actually a member of the Slayers. At least, I know you’re not a practicing member.”

He tilted his head to the side, and I continued.

“You have no idea how to use a gun. I could tell that from what happened after we converted Nemesis. I can’t see a Reaper tattoo on you either, and I imagine the DOPD wouldn’t allow an employee to have one either.”

A forced smile flickered onto the protector’s face. “Nothing escapes you, does it?”

“Luckily. Why didn’t you tell me before? Why did you hold a gun to my waist?”

The combination of exhaustion, devastation, and anger inside of me was creating a whirlwind I could barely control. Mateo held him hands up, a frown forming on his face.

“You were going to call headquarters! If Dad found out I was with the Slayers, I’d lose my job!”

“So what, you were going to shoot me?”

I stared at him and he avoided my gaze. “Of course not, I was just trying to scare you-”

I continued to glare at him.

“If you ever do that to me again, I’ll tell Sir Larmore everything.”

Mateo’s face darkened for a second before he gazed down at his feet in defeat. “…fine.”

We stood in silence. I watched as the protector’s shoulders wracked as he held in small sobs.

“I can’t believe she’s gone.” Mateo mumbled in a small voice.

My mind wandered back to the terrified deer in the warehouse and I felt my stomach constrict.

“Did you want to talk about it?” I asked.

“Not here.” he replied, glancing about in an anxious matter.

Together, we left headquarters and took the monorail to the outskirts of Central Ardour. Mateo led me along cigarette butt littered streets to a small ramen joint that smelt like bone broth and sandalwood. We sat side-by-side at a bench that faced a smudged window. Rain was starting to patter on the glass lightly.

“We’ve known each other since we were children. Since my birth parents were still alive. We got separated after they died, and I was taken in by Dad. I only just found her again, and she told me she was a Slayer.”

I listened intently, occasionally taking sips of my green tea.

“She hated clients. Wanted every single one of them dead. I couldn’t even tell her what my job was, or who my adopted Dad was. Could you imagine? She would have skinned me alive.”

Tears were forming in his eyes.

“I had to lie and tell her I was interested in joining. I mean, I understand why she was upset. I know what clients can do. I’ve seen it.”

Mateo wrung his hands so tightly his knuckles turned white.

“I can’t believe she became one of them. It just…happened. One of the gang told her something, and she just blew up.”

“It isn’t something that can be controlled.” I replied in a gentle voice. “Ten percent of the-”

“I know, Maggie, I know. I took the pretty much the same courses you did.”

I gulped down my tea and felt my face grow hot. Of course he knew. Mateo wiped his mouth with his hand and looked over his shoulder. He came in close to me and lowered his voice.

“I know this is kind of messed up, but I think she’s better off dead.”

I had no idea how to react to this. I must have ended up staring at Mateo with wide eyes. Before I could say anything in response, he gave his explanation while gazing out the window.

“I’d rather her dead than have to live with the guilt of being a client. That could have been a catalyst for her to hulk-to transform.”

“Mateo, there’s medicine to stop that. There’s-”

“Yeah, there’s shitty pills that make you feel sick and either give you wild mood swings or turn you into an emotionless robot. Fantastic, what a life to live.”

“They’re getting better. It’s a process of trial and error.”

Mateo shot me a look of scorn. “So Valory would have been a living experiment for the rest of her life. Great, I’m even happier that she’s dead then.”

With that, the protector stood up and stormed out into the rain. I watched him leave, feeling my heart sink into his chest. I wanted to be mad at him, but I let it go. After all, trauma affects people in different ways. I could not begin to imagine the amount of pain he must have been in.

Listening to the rain patter on the sidewalk outside, I started to eat my ramen. I tried to think about my childhood and the carefree summer days at the man-made beach. All my mind could conjure up were glassy dark eyes, pained bleats and a boulder sitting in a pool of dark blood.