I stand at attention with the other Operators just outside the station as the Commandant drones on in her disinterested voice, giving a canned morning sermon to us. My neighbor in the line barely manages to suppress a yawn as we shuffle restlessly no thanks to the growing heat from the morning sun. I don't know whether or not the other Operators are actually paying attention to the sermon but on my part, I'm busy praying that we will be let into our offices where there are chairs and air conditioning. 

After what seems like an eternity spent baking under the sun, the bell signalling the start of the work day sounds and the doors of the station are opened by the security detail. We begin listlessly filing into the building and punching in our attendance at the reception desk.  Alright. Here goes. I begin psyching myself for the challenge ahead of me. 

I had not met Olivia earlier during the assembly, but that doesn't actually mean anything. In order to get to my office, I need to pass the security booth that Olivia bases herself out of. If she wanted to grab me, it would make sense for her to wait there for me to deliver myself up on a platter. I rub my deployment ring for luck and prep my power package for activation. One step after the next. One step after the next. The security booth draws steadily closer. 

From the booth's open window, I can see Olivia seated behind her desk flicking through a file. She occasionally lifts her head to scan the crowd of incoming employees with her single good eye, but Olivia doesn't seem to be on guard or looking out for anything in particular. I stick to my regular walking pace, acting as naturally as possible. I walk past the security booth and ... 

Nothing happens. I pass by without any fanfare or ceremony. 

I breathe a sigh of relief. Olivia might try arresting me up in the future, but at least I am free for one more day. One more day to try and track down Jasvinder without interference and move the rest of my stuff from the apartment to one of the safe houses. Not that it would be ideal but if I am busted, I can always grab Lisa from the orphanage and relocate to the concrete desert outside of the Citadel. From there I would secure a wildcat transmitter and get back in touch with the Management. It would be difficult, but manageable. I had been put in worse positions before during the Fallen War. 

Turning on the air conditioning in my office to full blast, I settle into my chair and begin leafing through my itinerary for the day. Morning is for the approved supplicants to send their prayers and there's a batch already assigned by admin to my office. Well, better get to it then. I press the buzzer on my desk to call the first number in the queue. I straighten up my posture and put on my most serious look. Have to protect the dignity and solemnity of my office after all. Not before long, there's a knock on my door. 

"Enter." I say, taking one last look in my reflection on the computer screen. Great. Everything is in order. The door squeaks open, and the last person I want to see enters my office. 

Olivia steps into the room silently and turns to secure the door with the massive iron bolt. She then flicks on the warning light announcing that I am in the middle of deciphering prayers. As I regard Olivia with narrowed eyes, she nonchalantly pulls out one of the chairs in front of my desk and makes herself at home, not saying a word. The next few minutes pass with the two of us locking eyeballs, waiting for the other to make the first move. 

"There are people waiting outside you know." I observe, finally deciding to end this silly waiting game. Olivia can have her show of dominance for all I care. It doesn't change the fact that she has unknowingly stepped into the lion's den. 

 "Where were you the night before last?" Olivia asks without preamble. So that's her game. Trying to corner me in my office. 

I keep a bland expression on my face while answering, "A friend of mine took me to this place. Club Loveless." 

"Who was this friend?" Olivia continues with the questioning. 

"Jas Krishnan. A doctor. Veteran like me." I grunt, "What is this about anyway?"

"Just answer the questions. What were you doing at Loveless?" Olivia queries with an unreadable expression.

"Nothing." I snort, "Jas wanted to talk with the owner about something or other. I was strolling about waiting for him to come back."

"Did you know what Jasvinder and the owner were talking about?" Olivia presses. 

"No." I reply, "I wasn't even in the same room as them during their discussion."

Olivia nods, with a pleased expression on her face. Just as I am wondering what is she getting up to, her look hardens again and she carries on with the interrogation. 

"I heard that you started a fight at Loveless." she says. 

"Nonsense." I wave the accusation aside, "I met with an illegal immigrant working at the club and wanted to carry my civic duty as a veteran and reserve Auxilia. There was a quarrel and Jas stopped me."

"Your civic duty being?" Olivia asks, her pen flying across the pages of a notebook while her eyes keep contact with mine. How does she manage to write without actually seeing the page she is writing on?

"Making an arrest." I shrug. 

"You used hate speech." Olivia stares daggers at me, "Witnesses said you referred to a bouncer as, and I quote, 'a rapefugee'."

"She was a rapefugee." I insist. No point denying this. Its not as if its an offence to hurl abuse at people who don't legally exist anyway. 

"Do you know what a hate crime is, Don?" Olivia hisses threateningly. I start sniggering in mirth at the sheer stupidity of the question. 

"You know what a love crime is Olivia?" I ask between gales of laughter, "Hating someone isn't a crime. Otherwise we would all be guilty of hating the fallen or the faithless that were exiled, right?" Olivia is completely speechless for a moment before she manages to gather her wits. 

"At the end of the night, Jasvinder drove you back to his clinic where you had parked your car." she states, looking through her notes. Here it comes. I mentally brace for action. 

"Yup." I answer plainly. 

"Then what happened?" Olivia's gaze is now so sharp she could laser through steel. 

"I got into my car and drove home." I reply. 

"You know where Jasvinder is now?" Olivia asks. 

"No." I shrug again, "How would I?"

"That's all?"

"That's all." I confirm. 

"You don't know about the crater in front of your friend's clinic and the four corpses the Militia found at the location?" Olivia asks with a polite smile. 

"No." I return the favor with a bland smile of my own. 

"Hand over your deployment ring Don." Olivia says, extending her hand to me expectantly. Hah. I knew it. Olivia wants to examine my deployment ring for evidence that will hang me. 

"Here you go." I pass the ring over without hesitation, taking her by surprise. 

Olivia takes out a jeweler's magnifying glass from her coat and begins using it to examine by deployment ring. Small holographic windows filled with scrolling data open up around the lens and Olivia's good eye steadily flicks through the information.  I never bothered keeping the software of my bulwark up to date, since I never really relied much on the bulwark itself in the first place. But there's a more practical reason for my neglect. Older model bulwarks manufactured during the war like mine don't actually keep in action records. With all the fighting going on, the military was not interested in the performance of each individual conscript. The larger picture was more important. 

But Olivia probably expects that. What she is looking for is something else. Divine energy use. 

Bulwarks run off the blessings provided by the divines and by necessity have a 'fuel gauge' so to speak, allowing the pilot to know when they need a recharge. A big fight like the one the night before last would put a huge dent in my bulwark's fuel gauge. Since all prayers are monopolized by the transmission stations, that would mean two scenarios. I take my chances and walk around carrying a deployment ring with a half empty tank or I risk performing a recharge prayer which would be recorded and logged by the system. Either case creates a clear line of evidence that links me to the murders that occurred outside of Jasvinder's clinic. 

But I mainly used my Operative powers during the fight. And those powers work by substitution. 

"Huh. Your bulwark's divine energy reserves are close to full." Olivia murmurs, "And the last recharge was several weeks ago."

"Of course." I answer, "I hardly use it other than for some light drills."

"I see." Olivia responds with a complicated look on her face, "Well, here's your ring back. Thanks for the cooperation."

"No problem." I nod, slipping the ring back on to my finger, "We done here?"

"Sure." Olivia says as my phone begins to ring, "I'll get out of your hair then. Bye." She unbolts the door and slips out of my office unobtrusively. 

The moment I pick up the phone, a cheerful chirping assaults my ear. 

"Hey, Hey. Uncle Don, its Reina!" Lisa trills on the line, "Is Uncle Don happy to hear from me?"

"What's up Reina?" I ask, getting comfortable once again in my chair. 

"Uncle Jas just called Reina up." the anime girl voice explains, "He wants to meet tomorrow night. Reina thinks it would be great if we all had a big get together, like a party! Don't you agree, Uncle Don?"

"Great idea Reina." I smile, "You tell your Uncle Don where this party is going to be held."

"And Uncle Don will make sure it's a party that Uncle Jas won't be walking away from."