Rift

Chapter 19: The Hand That's Dealt

"...Director Corbin, I am begging you to please reconsider."

Kylen wilts on their knees before The Director, their hands shake as she stares them down with some cross between amusement and irritation. They know Fritz's mind had been long gone, but they still have a hard time wrapping their head around how anyone could possibly enjoy this. Begging in general is humiliating enough, but begging to Corbin is another level of degrading as well as dangerous depending on her mood, and she's been rather foul since the Masquerade.

The Director sighs and drums her nails across the surface of her desk. "Why should I consider anything you have to say? Jane Harvey was a fool and she got what was coming to her. Is it not enough that her killer died shortly after she did?"

They lean back on their knees to meet her eyes. "I would hardly count their deaths as even, considering the circumstances, your grace," they clear their throat. "You have the ability to bring her back. Please, you have to consider how valuable Jane is to the Imperium."

"Valuable?" Corbin laughs and leans forward on the desk, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand. "Adorable that you think that brat is worth anything more than another pawn. If anything, she got in the way more than she did anything beneficial to me," she carelessly shrugs.

'You made her that way.' Kylen has to force themself to bite their tongue before those words can escape their mouth and instead opts to go for a more judicial response. "She went overboard in the loss of her Augmentation. That much I do not deny. But with proper supervision, she could be made useful again."

"And what of your supervision, Windsor?" The Director stands from her chair and leers down at them. Kylen stops all train of thought to simply stare at her and await whatever she's leading to. Corbin steps around the desk to stand in front of the Cogency Elite and she reaches down, grabs their chin, and turns their face up to look at her.

She glares into their eyes. "How did the outsiders manage to access the rift?"

Kylen's breathing slightly hitches but they quickly get their emotions under control. They anticipated questions about this, as they weren't as careful as they should have been during the Masquerade. They acted recklessly once they realized what Jane had been doing, and that was their first mistake.

The second was letting their emotions guide their hand – their Augmentation – onto Cree.

"You believe that was my doing," they don't say it as a question.

The Director sighs and releases their chin before turning away and beginning to pace in front of them with her hands held austerely behind her back. "Considering the fact that only Validity Hexes, as well as myself, can open the vault to the rift, yes," she states. "Because if not you, then who else could it have been? Fritz is dead. The deserter Latanya is still in hiding. And Jane is no longer of Validity," she stops and tilts her head at them.

"Unless of course, Jane had stolen the Augmentation of a Hex who is of Validity," she suggests. "So if it wasn't you, then it must have been Harvey. Is that what you mean to tell me?"

Kylen looks down and mentally curses themself. Of course The Director would use Jane against them. "No, Director. That's not what I'm saying."

"Then spit it out," Corbin stops pacing in front of them. "I'm waiting."

They take a silent deep breath before nodding to themself. There are so many ways this could backfire on them, but the chance that it could work out in their favor makes the odds no longer matter in their mind.

Kylen slowly rises to stand before her. "I allowed the outsiders to access the rift," they confess. "I'm to blame for all of the events of that night, your grace."