Triple Point

Chapter 28: Baselines

Six years ago

16 OCT 27AE

Therapy was a waste of time. At least, it was in Camilla's case.

Even though everyone said her abilities were amazing and powerful, Camilla had a hard time believing that for herself, and she needed to practice to meet their heightened expectations. So while she could've spent her time training and honing her abilities, she was forced to spend two hours a week answering questions about her feelings, and apparently her answers were always wrong.

No, she wasn't wrong; her answers were just not what the Org wanted to hear.

"You had a training mission the other day, right?" the doctor asked, even though he probably already had her Academy schedule scribbled into his notes. "How did that go?"

"The mission was sat," Camilla replied simply. "We patrolled the store, got video evidence of the shoplifting, and apprehended the suspects. We were back before lunch."

The doctor hummed thoughtfully; Camilla must've answered wrong again.

"Your team leader says that it was less of a 'we' and more of a 'you,'" he said, as if he was making a profound revelation.

Camilla shrugged. "I was just completing the mission."

Truthfully, she thought she had done a sloppy job, but she didn't bother mentioning that.

"And you did," the doctor agreed. "But Camilla, remember what we've talked about before? These missions are team exercises."

"You talked about it; I just listened," Camilla corrected. "And it could be a team exercise if my team could actually do their jobs."

"Not everyone can be as strong as you," the doctor said, and Camilla detected a hint of well-masked cynicism in his voice.

"But they can be stronger than they are." And so could she. "At the end of this year, I'll be out, and then they're supposed to be the strongest ones in the Academy. How embarrassing is that? There are third years who are already stronger than some of them."

"I'll admit that we have suffered in manpower after... the incident," the doctor said. "But people can get stronger over time. You of all people can attest to that."

"And look what I won for that," Camilla muttered bitterly, frowning in disgust at the doctor's office.

"You can't blame the others for not being as strong as you, Camilla," the doctor continued, ignoring her comment.

"I'm not blaming them," Camilla said. How could she, when she was gifted with her own abilities and she still couldn't use them to their full capacity? "I'm just not going to tone down my strength just to make life easier for them.

"They have to train? Well, so do I. A real enemy isn't going to go easy on me if they end up being stronger. And making me talk with you just because you don't like how I think isn't going to get either of us anywhere."

"Then what will?"

"Haven't I made that obvious? Don't expect me to play nice if it gets in the way of me fulfilling my job. I've played nice for the first, what, seventeen years of my life? All that got me was a one-way ticket out of the Academy and the most pathetic homecoming ever.

"I'm done with that. I know you guys love my power—you couldn't have brought me back here any faster than you did once you found out what I could do. And now you're trying to change how I think? Please, you've been trying for two years already. If you want to keep me, stop wasting your time and mine, and just deal with the consequences."