�Fire Guardian. Did you or did you not FAIL to protect Congressman Ross?�
�I did fail.�
�Who killed Him?�
�Taos Moonstalker.�
�Did you allow it?�
�I fought in all my power against it.�
�Was there something else you could have done?�
�Not without my team members there.�
�So there was?�
�Yes, but it would have meant possibly my termination and maybe not even his.�
A fast whisper circled the dark room.
I couldn�t see even their heat signatures, which freaked me out�.I can tell if something�s demon, human, vampire, or a mix with my heat sensing abilities, but I got almost nothing from the room�..nothing that couldn�t be brushed off as my reflection of heat off the walls.
�Do you know what you have done wrong?�
�Yes, I have failed in the objective to protect the principal and in doing so I failed the mission.�
�And you understand that there will be punishment?�
I swallowed. �Yes, council, I understand.�
More whispers. Semi-heated arguments. Disagreement. Then silence.
�We have decided on your punishment. Two Months suspension. During which you will not go on any assignments, nor missions, and you will not lead your team. You will, however, be able to attend training to learn where you failed� --a rustle of papers-- �You are dismissed.�
Lights behind me came on and I promptly turned and left.
Later that night, at my apartment, I was watching TV and saw the congressman�s story come up. His house had been searched�..and the police found child pornography, films of his exploits, pedophilic material��I muted the TV. Oh god�.god no�..I was alone in that man�s house with him�.
I buried my head in my hands and cried. I let the tears flow freely, over the tank top I was wearing, dripping onto my baggy pajama pants, running down my face and soaking my hands. I sobbed, deep, gasping sobs that shook my entire body.
Erik�s mind flickered into mine.
Hi. he said
Hey, you. I kept my eyes closed to concentrate on him and pull his mind closer.
Are you okay? He asked.
Yeah�.no, I�m not.
What�s wrong, Nen?
I was so close to death, Erik. It scared the bravado out of me. I could�ve died.
Oh.
Do you remember me telling you how I was found?
Yes.
When my apartment blew up, I thought I was gonna die. I could�ve died. But I didn�t. I lived through it, and without a scratch, no less. This was different. I had no backup, no one was there to help me. I was terrified.
I felt him pull me into a �mind hug��..something I wasn�t ready for, I was shocked that he did�.
You are NEVER alone, Nen. Never. You�ve got us. You have Connor. All of us care about you, and if you would�ve died, you�re a Christian, you KNOW what�s on the other side. Remember all this, the next time you stare down death.
But you couldn�t possibly know.
I crashed. I crashed my motorcycle once�.
Oh, Erik�.I�m so sorry.
I nearly died, Nen��but I�m alive. The doctors said that the impact wasn�t as great as it could�ve been. And it makes no sense, but yeah, I�m still here. And I�d like to think that I�m here for a good reason. Nenona, I get that you�re young. I get that you probably don�t have half the experience that either me, or Marco, or Andrew has with the world, but I trust you. I trust your judgment, I trust your instinct, and I think you learn fast enough, that if you put your mind to anything, you can do it.
Thank you. I�m terrified half the time that you guys see me as an idiot.
We don�t. You�re a great leader. You�ve proved that, many times over.
You really think so?
Yes, Nen, keep that in mind when you do things. You wouldn�t have these powers if you couldn�t handle going deeper than the rest of us.
I called Connor last night and he sent me the info in the morning. Taos was an assassin, like Connor, only Taos was much higher up in the pay breaks. I got a recent track of Taos�s activities, linking him to several murders, including Congressman Ross�s.
I read it all, and memorized his last track. Just outside of Vegas, he had been spotted near the industrial district.
That�s where I decided to go.
I packed quickly, unsure if he was there still, and I chose to take my motorcycle. I would stop by the bank to pick up some cash later.