Cut From The Same Fur

~ Anita, Codename: Minerva ~

As Cutter's other evaluations were taking place, I met up with Sera in the cafeteria.

She had just finished Cutter's first evaluation, the mental evaluation.

I expected it probably went incredibly poorly, but Sera's distraught face as she sipped on a cup of coffee told me that it might have gone even worse than I thought.

Minerva: "Hey Sera. How are you holding up?"

Serotonin: "...Minerva, what on earth did you just bring in for evaluations?"

Minerva: "She's certainly something, isn't she?"

Minerva: "What was her score?"

Serotonin: "Three."

Minerva: "Three!?!?"

Minerva: "That's even worse than Gaia's! And she's a diagnosed psychopath!"

Serotonin: "And to top it all off, she admitted to my face that she lied on some of the questions to make herself sound better."

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at that. What in the world?

Serotonin: "You're laughing, but she's here on your recommendation, might I remind you."

Minerva: "I mean, I expected her to do poorly on the mental evaluation, but still, I didn't think she'd be that bad.."

Serotonin: "You think her combat skills will make up for it?"

Minerva: "That's the idea."

Minerva: "And if it doesn't, oh well. Then we just move on to her trial, I guess."

Serotonin: "That reminds me, there's a lot of talk about that."

Serotonin: "Is she really going to join unreprimanded if she passes her evaluations?"

Minerva: "I'm afraid there really isn't anything we can do to reprimand her."

Minerva: "She's likely just going to enjoy any punishment she receives."

Serotonin: "Right.. She did seem to be that type of person."

Serotonin: "Still, I can't say that trust hasn't wavered with you a little bit amongst the Operators."

Minerva: "That's fine. There's bound to be decisions that I make that they will disagree with."

Minerva: "Many people see things from a purely emotional perspective. With that in mind, it's no surprise that they would want Cutter dead on the spot."

Minerva: "But as a tactician I can't afford to see things from one perspective. I have to look at things from as many different directions as I possibly can."

Minerva: "And one fact stands firm. If Cutter was able to kill nearly a dozen PMF Operators on her own, as well as cause significant trouble for Cerulean, one of our stronger Elite Operators, then there is no doubt that she is powerful."

Minerva: "And if that power can be controlled, there is no doubt that her life has use to us."

Minerva: "Believe me, if there was any way at all that I could punish her for what she's done without just outright killing her, I would. But there isn't."

Sera sighed.

Serotonin: "I hate when you're right."

Minerva: "I get it. It's a shitty situation overall."

Minerva: "But I will never make a decision that hurts the PMF."

Minerva: "And, unfortunately, killing Cutter would hurt the PMF."