At Your Mercy

2

One time I was in Ethova, on an undercover, and got myself into a thick muck real bad. It was one of the first assignments I had ever taken on, and the desire to prove myself burned real bright. At that point, it was Patrick who came to get me out of the dark 6 by 6 feet torture cell that still is the source of nightmares. I wasn't even completely alive when he rescued me, what with all the times water was released drop by drop on my forehead making me go slowly and excruciatingly insane, and let's not forget the forced ingestion of water that gave me headaches for days at a time. Through the journey back to Soracia, and then through the period when the hospital sewed whatever was left of me back together, Patrick was there. And since then, he has easily been my only confidante and my best friend.

And going so surely against his view is not what I like at all.

But there was a whole country I had to think of. And whether Patrick would talk or not talk to me for the next few days wasn't supposed to be the basis of my decision.

The argument had broken down after Patrick could not find the right words to defend his side, and this minor pause had caused Sloane to get up like a rocket was taped to her seat, and mutter something about looking at how her people were doing, and went off to the table, while Erik looked at Patrick constantly under a trance until it got Patrick so irritated that he spoke out: "Do I look too nice?"

Erik snapped out of it. "What?"

"You've been staring at me for the past five minutes. Do I look too nice?"

"You look like someone peed on your coat."

"The point is," I cut Patrick before he could say anything else. "Jason Carter is okay for this job. If you still hesitate, then let's put him on a three-month probationary period with Sloane. If he's out of shit, we'll take him on."

"Sloane," Sloane cries out from her table that was exactly adjacent to the table we were sitting around. "is not going to guide a n y o n e who is going to make her wish that she wasn't born in the first place."

"Oh c'mon, Sloane," I turn to her. "He's not going to attempt anything you'll regre- "

"But that's the thing, Raven," Patrick jumps in between. "He will. And you don't have any guarantee for the opposite. Plus," he then picks up Jason Carter's photo from the table and starts to examine it, "on a probationary period for a position in the establishment agency? This isn't a normal office job, Raven, it's the country's foundation."

"There is a reason he's being put on a probationary period, Patrick," I now have an edge of impatience in my voice, "and it's because you have a problem with this guy's abilities. We're going to SEE if he attempts something,, practically with our own eyes, in it. And if he does, then well you get it. I'll go with anyone you want."

I'm tired of going through this again and again. Yes, this is an establishment agency and a probationary period isn't realistic, it's basically like testing someone to see if they're okay for ruling the country which is completely insane because if you choose someone to be a part of this, WHY ON EARTH wouldn't they be capable of ruling? But it's not me for whom I'm introducing this. It's Patrick. And if he fails to understand how important of an asset this guy can be, I can't do anything but tell Erik to bring him in even if Patrick disagrees.

Wait, why hasn't Erik spoken anything?

I look over at him to see him doodling an outline over the C of the CUNTS on the page that I'd given him earlier. For a reason, it makes me so flustered to see him so relaxed that I snatch the paper out from under hi s hand and move closer to him. Looking directly into his eyes, I say, "Erik. Stop it. And say something."

For a moment, he looks too scared to even register what is happening, but as I move away, he takes a deep breath, looks at Patrick and says, "Look, cut the bullshit. Take him in. There's no harm in the probationary period. It will give you all the opportunity that you want to make this guy fit for the job."