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My left hand has begun to treainst the bedsheets

"Private 45B-76423 Fletcher, Seamus" He pauses "Does that name sound faine my surprise," he says, "when I heard that ht That he’d finally taken initiative and dispensed with a traitorous soldier who’d been stealing froht in the forehead" A laugh "I congratulated myself--told myself you’d finally come into your own, that you’d finally learned how to lead properly I was alreater shock to me to hear Fletcher’s fa, of course, because you, of all people, should know the rules Traitors come from a family of traitors, and one betrayal means death to them all"

He rests his hand on ain White walls Blocks of concrete E exists inside ofstays

"It’s funny," he continues, thoughtful now, "because I told myself I’d wait to discuss this with you But soht, doesn’t it?" I can hear him smile "To tell you just how treh I can’t say I’le month you’ve lost two soldiers, couldn’t contain a clinically insane girl, upended an entire sector, and encouraged rebellion a the citizens And somehow, I’ers at my collarbone

White walls, I think

Blocks of concrete

E exists inside ofstays

"But what’s worse than all this," he says, "is not that you’vethe order I’d finally ot yourself shot in the process But that you would show sy, his voice a happy, cheerful thing "This is unforgivable"

My eyes are open now, blinking up at the fluorescent lights abovemy vision I will not move I will not speak

His hand closes around h and violent I’o through with it; that maybe this time he’ll actually let me die But he never does It never lasts

Torture is not torture when there’s any hope of relief

He lets go all too soon and gets exactly what he wants I jerk upward, coughing and wheezing and finally es his existence in this roo now,still for so long My skin is cold sweat; my breaths are labored and painful

"You’re very lucky," he says, his words too soft He’s up now, no longer inches froht So lucky I had time to correct the mistake"

I freeze

The room spins

"I was able to track down his wife," he says "Fletcher’s wife and their three children I hear they sent their regards" A pause "Well, this was before I had them killed, so I suppose it doesn’t really matter now, but my men told me they said hello It see softly "The wife She said you went to visit them before all thisunpleasantness occurred You were always visiting the co after the civilians"

I whisper the only tords I can e

"Get out"

"This isa hand in usted by you I don’t knohether to shoot you myself And then I realize you’d probably like that, wouldn’t you? To be able to blame me for your downfall? And I think no, best to let him die of his own stupidity"

I stare blankly ahead, fingers flexing against the mattress

"Now tell me," he says, "what happened to your arm? Delalieu see

"Too ashamed to admit you were shot by one of your own soldiers, then?"

I close irl?" he asks "How did she escape? Ran off with one of your rip the bedsheet so hard

"Tellinto my ear "Hoould you deal with a traitor like that? Are you going to go visit his family, too? Make nice with his wife?"

And I don’t mean to say it out loud, but I can’t stop hs out loud so suddenly it’s almost a howl He claps a hand on ers he just closed around et up We have work to do"

And I think yes, I wouldn’tthe kind of work that would remove Adam Kent from this world

A traitor like hiht

I’ I actually lose track of time

This has never happened before

Everything is off, unbalanced I’ht I didn’t believe in, and for the first tily tired

My father is here