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There wasn’t a cop with a brain who didn’t “It’s not a choice, is it?”

Mira kept her sigh to herself “The termination of a subject, no matter the circumstances, is a traumatic experience for a police officer If the trauma effects the emotions, the reactions, the attitude, the officer’s performance will suffer If the use of full force was caused by a physical defect, that defect must be located and repaired”

“I know the co fully But I don’t have to like it”

“No, you don’t” Mira neatly balanced the cup on her knee “Lieutenant, this is your second terh that is not an unusual ath of duty, there are many who never need to make that decision I’d like to kno you feel about the choice you made, and the results”

I wish I’d been quicker, Eve thought I wish that child was playing with her toys right now instead of being cremated

“As my only choice was to let him carve me into pieces, or stop hi was issued and ignored Stunning was ineffective The evidence that he would, indeed, kill was lying on the floor between us in a puddle of blood Therefore, I have no problem with the results”

“You were disturbed by the death of the child?”

“I believe anyone would be disturbed by the death of a child Certainly that kind of vicious murder of the defenseless”

“And do you see the parallel between the child and yourself?” Mira asked quietly She could see Eve draw in and close off “Lieutenant, we both know I’round You were abused, physically, sexually, and eht”

“That has nothing to do with—”

“I think it reat deal to do with your mental and emotional state,” Mira interrupted “For two years between the ages of eight and ten, you lived in a communal home while your parents were searched for You have no ht years of your life, your name, your circumstances, your birthplace”

However“You were given the name Eve Dallas and eventually placed in foster care You had no control over any of this You were a battered child, dependent on the system, which in many ways failed you”

It took every ounce of will for Eve to keep her eyes and her voice level “As I, part of the system, failed to protect the child You want to kno I feel about that, Dr Mira?”

Wretched Sick Sorry

“I feel that I did everything I could do I went through your VR and did it again Because there was no changing it If I could have saved the child, I would have saved her If I could have arrested the subject, I would have”