Minutes passed before Melton hobbled out of the rubble, a familiar face emerging before him.

  "What are you doing here...?"

  "I could say the same for you too. Sergal told me the Operation team didn't want you tagging along for the job, so what are you doing here?" Nearby, a bench creaked under his weight as Zeke rested his head back on his hands.

  "...I came to say my goodbyes."

  "They must've been good people."

  Melton took the seat beside Zeke.

  "You could say that."

  "So what are you going to do about this mess? The higher-ups won't be too happy about this." Zeke pointed his chin towards the pile of rubble that was once the Den of Sin.

  "An unexpected variable had caused the loss of the 156th Operations Unit. Nearby Officer Melton eliminated the unknown threat and proceeded with the elimination of the threat to complete the mission assigned to the 156th Operations Unit."

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "...You've always been imaginative, but do you really think they'll buy that story?"

  "If you'll vouch for me. You'll have to be involved in the story too, but you've got goodwill to cash in too, no?"

  "What do I get in return?"

  "I'll ride with you back-"

  "Deal."

  Hands clasped and shook. "...You're easy, does anyone ever tell you that?"

  "Melton."

  "What?"

  "Are you sure you're okay?"

  Worry plagued Zeke’s expression as he stared back into emerald eyes. He was injured, yes, but something else sounded far worse and broken about him.

  "...It's no big deal. I say give me a while to mull over it and I'll be fine."

  Zeke’s expression basically begged the question “Are you sure?”.

  "No, really."

  "...I'll let you know when I plan to return."

  "And I'll let you know when you have to testify."

  "You do that. Be safe now, Melton.”