The Corruption Games

Chapter Three

With Snow gone, I get up and try and figure out what to do, while ignoring my own pain. I get that he misses his family, but I miss mine too. And so do so many of us. It's just something that we must all accept and move past.

With a huff, I push myself up off the ground and head for Sun's office. I've got a request to make.

The whole way to the office, I don't say a word, even to those who speak to me in the halls. And before long, people take a hint and stop trying to get a reaction out of me. Good. It's not like I wanted it. I think.

Once I finally get to the office, I see Tortoiseshell. Or rather, Turtle. She was originally Tortoiseshell, but thanks to some newer agents joking around with her, the other nickname stuck. Turtle, although called the "secretary", is more along the lines of Sun's bodyguard. She may look like a bookworm (and maybe she is, I don't know) that couldn't even hit you if she tried, but believe me, that woman can fight, and she is terrifying.

The instant I walk in the door she looks up at me from her desk. "Need something?"

I nod and watch as Turtle's head tilts ever so slightly to the left as she listens. "I need to talk to Sun. It's important."

Turtle nods thoughtfully, perhaps even knowingly. What the hell is it with people and knowing what I'm doing before I even do it? It's getting a little creepy. I watch as Turtle presses a button on a panel on the wall, before speaking.

"Overseer, Agent Shadow is here to see you." There's crackling, and then Sun's voice comes through.

"Send her in."

Turtle turns back to me and raises an eyebrow, waving her hand at the door to the office. Then she turned back to whatever she'd been working on before I showed up.

Hesitantly, I turn and head through the door, to find Sun at her desk, reading through a stack of files sitting in front of her. She looks up curiously as I walk in. "What do you want to know, Shadow?"

I take a deep breath before I reply. "I want to see Agent Snow's files."

Sun stares at me with a look of shock before she finally finds the words to reply. "What do you want those for?" As calm as I can, I reply. There's no point in getting worked up over this. I hope.

"So I can learn at least something about him. He's barely spoken a word, and I doubt I'll get anything out of him for a long time. And I refuse to risk my life for someone who refuses to share anything. I will not risk my goddamn head for someone I know nothing about. Especially if it could mean risking everyone else's lives, too." Well. So much for not getting worked up over this.

Oops?

Oops.

Sun stares at me for what I swear is the longest minute of my life before opening a drawer on her desk and pulling out a keychain. She then turns, selects a key, and unlocks the drawer of a filing cabinet behind her.

A few minutes later I'm holding two pages from my partner's file in my hands. And almost instantly, I'm protesting.

"Only two?" Sun nods in response.

"Only two. That's all you need to know. The rest, he can tell you himself. He's human, Shadow, not made of metal and wires. He's not a robot, just adjusting. Give him time. Have those returned by 6 a.m. tomorrow."

And with that, she locked the cabinet and went back to work.

Well then.

After a few moments I'm back in the hallways, and heading back to my bunk. By now there's only perhaps a handful of people wandering around. Everyone else in this section is either out on assignment or at training. And those that aren't are the ones who are on their three–day break. Trauma prevention and all that. At least, that's how I like to think of it.

I was almost, almost back to my bunk when of course I had to see someone I know. It's Timer. And upon seeing me, he walks right up, deciding to chat.

Dude, not now. Can't you see I'm trying to avoid absolutely everyone I know so I don't have to talk?

Why does nobody understand the meaning of not wanting to talk?

He looks curiously from the papers in my hand to my face. "Heya, Shadow. What are those? They look like they're from a file."

I squint at him, suspicious. "Were you waiting for me?" Timer's face twists for a moment, like he can't figure out how he wants to feel until he decides to grin sheepishly.

"Maybe. But is that part of Snow's file?" I stare at Timer like he's grown a second head. Although with some of the stuff I've heard Timer's gotten into, by this point, I wouldn't be surprised. I don't even answer his question and instead push past him, barely listening to his protest. I don't care if he wants to know or not. It's not information he's going to get. At least, not from me.

I finally made my way back to my bunk. The instant I got inside I locked the door, and then jammed a door in front of it for good measure. Better safe than sorry. Then I flop myself on my bed....

And proceed to bounce right back off into the floor.

Damn bed.

After pulling myself on the floor and sitting on my bed more carefully, I actually take a good look at the pages I'd been given. Most of it's just the basics. His designated nickname, his birth name, age, build, and everything else.

And then there's the back of the second page. There's not much there, maybe just a paragraph. But it's enough.

His mother and sisters were murdered. And according to reports, he was there.