Killer Empire

Chapter 18

NATHAN HAD EXTRACTED Devora from her training so abruptly that she was still reeling from the aftermath. Her training sessions had been rough the last couple of days and it had followed a pretty strict and regular routine. Most of her hours were spent in the gym, building up her stamina and muscles— or rather, lack thereof. As such, she never had too much time for herself. Hence, getting pulled out for a leisurely walk (although they were headed for Julius Cain's office) was a nice reprieve.

The two walked in silence. Other than their footsteps, no other sounds could be heard. The corridor was surprisingly empty. So far, they hadn't passed by a single other agent even though the building would always be rather hectic around lunch hour. It was almost as though every other person in the building was avoiding them but Devora knew that was too far a stretch to be true.

They weren't anyone special, after all.

"So," Devora started to say, sighing as she looked up at Nathan who was walking right beside her. "What does Julius Cain want with me this time?" When she noticed how Nathan winced a little at her question, she frowned. "It's not really for a mission, right?"

Nathan shook his head. As he did so, his hair moved with him, brown locks swaying.

"No."

Immediately, Devora let out a sigh of relief. Truthfully, she was nowhere ready to take on a mission. Not only was she ridiculously unfit, her leg had also yet to fully heal. She would only become a hindrance if she was called into battle. What Candice had said back in the gym to Dallas was very true. In a world with no morality, whoever lags behind gets left behind. She couldn't depend on others to risk their lives for her anymore.

"Then what is it?" Devora prompted.

Exhaling loudly, Nathan dug a hand through his hair. He pulled at the strands idly, seemingly not realizing his own actions but rather was doing it out of habit.

"He didn't tell me much about it," he stated.

"But that means that he did tell you something about it," countered Devora.

"Tch," Nathan made a clicking sound with his tongue once he realized that he was betrayed by his own words. Scratching his head, he said, "He mentioned that he wanted to discuss your life before this and what's to happen from here on. That's all he told me."

Her old life. Oh, how she missed it.

Devora craved to have a taste of normalcy again. It hadn't even been a month since she was ripped away from her perfectly-average lifestyle but she was starting to see it as the grass on the other side of the fence. The idea of returning home was as impossible as taking a bite out of the skies. Some part of her knew that dwelling too much on escaping would just be putting a foot into a nicely polished coffin.

There was no need to waste her time thinking about the impossible. Especially not when there were more pressing things to think about.

Once again, Devora found herself in front of the intimidating large doors that led to Julius Cain's office. She bit on her bottom lip, afraid of what would come from the encounter. Fearing was a task of the fools but it was also what keeps them alive. While Candice's headstrong bravery was admirable, she didn't think it was very wise.

After all, fear is a necessity for all that lives and breathes.

"Come in," a voice on the other side said via a tiny little inconspicuous intercom hidden on the wall behind a photo frame. At Julius Cain's command, Nathan laid his hands on the handles before pushing the door open.

Devora straightened her spine instantly. Although she knew that fear was an inevitable feeling, especially when dealing with someone as frightening and formidable as Julius Cain, there was no need for the latter to know that he held such power over her. As long as she could trick herself into pretending she was strong, that was one step forward in attaining true strength.