An Imperial Affliction

Chapter 19- Emotions, advantage or weakness.

It's in our hands whether we make our emotions advantage, or weakness.

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Humans are the most superior race on this Earth. They have the brain and muscle power, because of which they ruled this world for thousands of years. They created, destroyed, and recreated civilization. They are powerful, but the basic thing which separate Human from Animals is their emotions. Animals don't have any emotions, but Humans have. The day they will lose it, Civilization will truly cease to exist.

For all human's superiority, it's really astonishing to witness their original master is not the brain, or even God, but emotions. Emotions, like love for parents, friends, understanding for a stranger, caring for a baby, these are the things which dominate human life, make them appear humane. Even the strong, logical people crumble in front of emotions. If God really made Human beings, then it's his way of balancing the indomitable race. Power with accurate weakness.

Some say caring is not an advantage. Caring for someone means putting someone else before you, think about the other person. Caring for someone else means you are not alone, there is a responsibility for another person on your shoulder. Sure, the person might not need your support, but in your heart you will always be tied with him or her. Care, the emotions has it's own way of creeping onto you silently, you are already there before you can understand and stop it, almost like Love. Care might be the first step of falling in Love, the basic feature of a relation.

It's safe to say Riya didn't care for anyone in this World. There was logical reason behind it. For example, she had a big, joint family where everyone share the same house and work in same empire, everyone takes care of everyone and have each other's back. She never had to worry about her parents or stay with them because there were others who could fill in her shoes and do better than her. There is a possibility her parents doesn't even remember her.

Family, check.

She had only one true friend in life, and she has many people to be with her. So Friend . . . check.

Love . . . no point of taking care of deceased Lover so . . . meh.

Yeah, no care for anyone, because she didn't have to.

Who knew, the ETFians will be her undoing?

The very first time she worked with them, when the Commissioner had not dropped the possibility on her to join the team and evoked a sub-interest to exploit this opportunity for her own in fullest, when she had saw and worked with her former Best Friend after a gap of 3 years of being AWOL, when she had nearly damaged the neck of a irritating Man who was inquiring a little too harshly for her taste, Her head was too involved with the main case. But Sub-conscious Mind is an ever active tool, it picks up things which our mind doesn't, so her's also did. She noticed the efficiency of the team, like a well oiled machine, every member is vital, has it's own role, they all contribute equally and help each case to solve. She noticed the true urge to do something good for this society, wipe out the wrong doers, make a difference through their profession. They worked with all seriousness, but there were silly banters and witty remarks as well, not the pessimistic crude cop humour. There was a lightness surrounding the group even in middle of the gruesomest crime scenes and dead end cases, which never ceased, even on the darkest days.

The team was a mix of different individuals who came together. Most often, people so different from each other create nuisance than good, but they didn't. Maybe it was respect for each other, or the respect for their profession, which bind them together. But she was proven completely wrong when she was in that cabin with the Director.

It was not a team, it's a family.

At first, it was just working with the team on her part, not going solo, one woman army like the Director required. The former didn't want her to mess up with the team so she didn't. She messed up many things in life, but she was not yet ready to see the disappointment in the eyes of her former best friend. It was going well, she would like to think.