The chill of the cavern stone seeped through Ryu's thin uniform, a constant, gnawing reminder of her failure. Days blurred into a monochrome existence.
Her boots scuffed against the metal floor, each step a dull thud echoing the emptiness inside. She lifted her gaze and saw Vesper waiting. Her silhouette, draped in black, unyielding, blocked the faint light.
"You hesitated," Vesper's voice, a low rumble, vibrated through the air.
"The target lived… Your mission failed."
Ryu's jaw tightened. "He was with a child…. Unarmed."
"Irrelevant, if you had an obstacle…clear the obstacle too," Vesper scoffed, a sharp, dismissive sound. "Orders are orders. Sentiment is weakness."
Ryu stared at her, shock running down her spine "Do you feel anything at all anymore? The child was innocent… I saw no point in continuing the mission at that moment."
Eel eyes, like polished obsidian, narrowed as he stepped from behind Vesper. He carried himself like a righteous man, "What do you even know about management, Ryu? If you care about every person involved, you won't perform the task effectively. Don't you get that?"
Ryu braced herself upright, though her legs trembled.
"They were… unnecessary cost of life."
A low, menacing growl crawled out of Eel's throat.
"Unnecessary? You think the Captain authorises missions on whim, child? You are a tool. A precision tool. And you refused a direct order?"
Eel moved forward with a slow, intent stride, his boots ringing out sharply on the metal floor.
"Compliance is fuelled by fear, Ryu. You take away our time, our resources, and our information. That broker might be calling in reinforcements as we speak, all thanks to your hasty, misdirected compassion."
"I will not kill unless in absolute necessity," Ryu asserted, holding his gaze, unwilling to blink this time.
"You do understand the consequences, don't you, Ryu?"
Eel's voice, a slick whisper, sent shivers down her spine. Delayed promotion. Extended training.
Re-education.
Ryu's breath hitched. She knew what re-education meant. The terror was a cold knot in her stomach.
"No," she managed, her voice barely a whisper.
"Oh, yes," Eel's lips peeled back in a thin smile. "Unless you prove yourself worthy. Unless you learn… Vesper."
He motioned for Vesper to follow.
"Yes, Captain," Vesper said in a high tone.
Her fingers dug into Ryu's wrist until her pulse throbbed beneath them.
Eel leaned in close, his breath having a faint tang of coffee.
" You are grounded. You will report to the Block Gamma for your punishment."
At the command of the Captain, Ryu's knees threatened to buckle.
The Captain's voice fell to a whisper, but it had the force of command. "You don't get to choose who lives, Ryu. That is what makes you different from the dirt you walk upon."
"This is just the beginning, Ryu," Eel's voice held no pity.
"Every day," Eel said calmly, "until you break. Until you understand what it means to be one of us."