22:59

19:30

Roger ran to the checkpoint and arrived half an hour before the end of the evening shift, the last shift for the day.

"Patrick, what is going on?" He blurted out, barely crossing the threshold.

"Mister Stone! Glad you stopped by! Have you seen the report?" Patrick sat disheveled, red and sweaty from overexertion.

"No, I didn't. I decided to come to you first. So what's in the report?"

"The helicopter has arrived sir and the patient will soon be taken to the hospital."

"Excellent." Roger felt the tension of the day leave him. "Do they have enough time?"

"As I understand it, Mr. Stone, there is no threat to life. But you'd better talk to the doctor."

"Yes, I will. Is everything else okay? Did you manage to eliminate the consequences of the accident?"

"Um, Mr. Stone, sir... When the helicopter departed, we put the Offenders back on the route, so I don't think the roads will clear up soon..." Patrick blushed and started sweating even more. He did everything according to the instructions, but did not know if it was correct. He did not always succeed in thinking with his own head.

Roger looked at Patrick who was trying to figure out what he thought about this decision by the head of the checkpoint. He understood that there had been no violations of the rules; on the contrary, everything was done by the book. However he would have liked the Offenders to return to base and give the people a rest. The traffic jam they created would remain standing still long after the evening shift was over.

Roger sighed. Where does this sentiment come from? He knew what he was working for. He followed his mission and fully supported Medicol in that, not the lives of these people. After all the future of humanity, was at stake. So why does he doubt the correctness of the decision? Could it be the lunchtime conversation he had had that made him face reality by hitting him with statistics on the suicides they all caused?

Patrick, seeing his supervisor's confusion, thought he had screwed up and felt like he was running out of breath. He sat, red and wet, opening his mouth wide and taking short, deep breaths. When Roger finally spoke, the checkpoint leader's face began to take on a blue tint.

"Well done, Patrick." Roger finally looked at his employee. Seeing his condition, he got scared and ran up to him, "Are you all right?! Patrick! Take it easy! I'll call a doctor."

Roger began dialing the phone number when Patrick finally caught his breath and was able to squeak out: "Don't... Sir... Everything... Everything is fine... Mr. Stone..."

Roger looked closely at Patrick, assessed his condition, and nodded. "I'll get you some water."

As Roger finished reviving the checkpoint chief, the signal sounded marking the end of the evening shift.

This long day at work was finally over for the Offenders. But Roger still had to go through two weeks of reports on a young specialist hired at the request of Adam Siemens, one of the doctors in the Research Department.

Roger took a deep breath, as if he himself was beginning to experience problems with the flow of air into his lungs. He nodded goodbye to Patrick and left.