It’s only been two days since the last person tried to kill me and friggin’ Marcella says I can’t take another regenerative on top of the three I’ve had in the last four days. Not meant for serious injuries, she says. Bullet wound itches like a bastard I says.

“Stop scratching it you dingus, you’ll bleed through the shirt I just bought you. I like that outfit.”

So do I. The long-sleeve maroon dress shirt wouldn’t show the blood though, and especially not through the pinstripe vest and pants. The wingtip wedges are an interesting choice, but they match my outfit and I can still run in them so I guess it works out. Marcella rolled up my sleeves to make me look a little less professional, which I appreciate as I’m supposed to have my shit together and report for interrogation training.

“I don’t see any of the other trainees dressed up. I mean I trust you, but I’m going to get singled out aren’t I?”

“Yes, yes you are.” She says with a coy grin, not looking at me.

“You arranged something with the instructors, got me special treatment and now the others are going to hate me.” I said matter-of-factly.

“I did, not special treatment but credit for your ‘unscheduled training’, and yes, they probably will hate you. Mostly because you’ll be better than them.” She looks at me at the last part with a warm smile full of praise and a warm, happy shiver runs through me.

I look out at the warehouse I escaped. The arrangement is different, no crates and rando vehicles, the heavy cranes are still overhead and there is a two-story building on the side of the warehouse that I assume are the barracks. Between that and the interrogation area is a makeshift classroom next to a small weights area. The other trainees are just inside the three-stage roll-away door tossing their named duffels in a pile, where I have already thrown mine off to the side.

A man I don’t recognize walks to the center of the open space in front of the classroom area and bellows. “Enforcer Recruits! Fall in!” The men and few women run toward the man and I move to step forward but Marcella pulls back on my vest, keeping me in place.

“You’re a trainee. Not a recruit. You will sit for the classroom portions and watch the interrogations and otherwise follow their instructions. You are not to sit in that chair again, even if they ask you. If someone asks, they are trying to hurt you. Parker will be here on week three and four to administer the interrogation Final. He is not here to train you, and you are not his protegee. You route all of his ‘requests’ through me, understand?”

I nod. “I do. Thanks for the head’s up. I’m certain that Parker will try something. The feeling of his voice Talent still makes me twitch.”

“Oh, if you see him using that, rat him out to the instructors, he is absolutely not supposed to use it on recruits, but he is petty enough to use it to try and fail people.”

“Are you not going to be here?” she sighs and slumps.

“I want to be, I do, but I’ve been putting off my job for too long. Medvedev is getting jumpy at the lack of pointed information gathering since I took you on. This was a part of the negotiation that I would be able to see you every evening for the last twelve weeks before your initialization.”

“I can’t even fathom what you’re sacrificing for me, but thank you. It kind of means everything to me, you know.”

“I do. But also know that I think investing in you is worth it. Let’s not worry about the cost until after you get your Track list. Some things are in the works, but we need to know where you’re headed before we vocalize the idea.”

“That I understand. Alright. I get the clothes better now too. Alright, cool professional mode engage.” I pull my hair back into a nubby pony and shake my shoulders out. I touch my thigh holster of knives in reassurance. My pistol harness is in my bag as they won’t have us with guns until much later in the training.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

I watch the instructors shout at the fifteen recruits, likely information that Marcella already gave me a head’s up on. She practically gave me a syllabus. I realize almost every day how fortunate I was to get a Mentor and how much of a miracle it is that we get along so well.

About a half hour into it they break off and jog to get their gear while one instructor directs the recruits and the other comes toward the both of us.

“Miss Fontaine, Novarro. This deviation from our normal schedule chafes a bit, however, we are in need of another interrogator for this many students.” I look up at Marcella, thinking she wouldn’t be here, but did she make arrangements to? “We would normally never do this, but we will supervise your first interrogation from the box, and if you don’t suck, we will need to use you in a handful of times in the rooms we’ve set up in the barracks.”

“No dice, Jerrico, we agreed she’d be in the room or in view of an instructor at all times!”

“I understand what you’re saying, Miss Fontaine, but we made that agreement before you kept pulling levers, and two of our instructors refused to be liable for teaching your protegee.”

Marcella grinds her teeth and starts twitching her hands. The man she’s focused on looks terrified. “I can see how my actions might cause that. She has to be able to protect herself.”

“There is no way, we don’t even carry . . .”

“Listen, jackass,” I interrupt, “you are talking to Lieutenant Fontaine and are supposed to work with her as she is working with you. Two, I was abducted and taken here against my mentor’s knowledge by the man you use to qualify your recruits. Two days after I escaped I was shot on my way from the range to my suite. So let’s start over, shall we?”

“Long story short,” Marcella says, “There is a credible threat to her life, and I value her life more than every person I’ve seen today. I will not allow you to bet that your security and screening is good enough.” She then stares at him until she shows teeth, and then he folds.

“Fuck, fine. She can keep the knives when we don’t have eyes on her. Not on the first one in the box though.”

“I can concede that much.” She nods pulls me aside, “Excuse us a minute.”

She walks us out of normal speech range before she stops, facing perpendicular with a hand in front of her mouth. “How are you feeling about this?”

“Like one of the recruits is definitely a plant and is going to try and kill me.”

“I think the instructors that bailed were approached by me and Parker, and decided to remove themselves from the fight. The two that remain are really great and I hate to intimidate them, but hells if I can just skip this training for you. The Organization has checklists, and this is one of them.”

“So what do I do? I’ve never interrogated before. Sure I took the accelerated classes from your friend, and I chatted for a week with Bell about connecting with ‘patients’, but is that enough to do the job?”

“On creeps, absolutely, because if one of them dies, no big. This is why the instructors are nervous and the fact that it’s you. You still have a rep, and killing an assassin makes the threat a bit more real.”

“Then how the hell did he come to this conclusion?”

“Every one of your instructors and trainers commented on how much effort you put into doing the job right.”

A flush of appreciation rolls through me, especially for Marcella and Kenneck. “I don’t like being here again, but I should be fine with my knives. I can do the work, Marcella.”

“I know you can, I believe in you, I just don’t believe in anyone else outside of the family. So, I’m going to let you borrow one of the most expensive things I own.” She hands me a tiny ring while gripping my hand. “It’s for your toes. And it can hold two cubic feet of material. There’s a Glock and some ammo in there as well as some credits.”

“I don’t have the system!”

“Doesn’t matter. Slide the inner rings away from each other and it will dump the contents, together it will store whatever you point it at. It’s worth about 10k credits so don’t lose it.”

“Holyshit.” I whisper in wonder. “Marcella. Take it back. It’s too much.”

“You should listen to your Mentor. I’m a lieutenant in our Organization after all.”

“You are a menace.” I look over to the instructor, just hanging out as though he was told to stay put. “We should go see to him, he looks afraid to move.”

She looks and tries not to laugh, then nods and walks back. “Sorry for the hassle. My protegee has something to say to you.”

Damn woman, “My apologies, instructor Jerrico, for the disrespectful language. I would be honored to assist with your course as I am able.” Confusion spreads across his face. Apparently the both of us are a lot to deal with together. Good for us.

“Any other qualms or surprises I should expect, Miss Fontaine?”

“Have fun with Parker, I hear he’s still got a pinecone up his ass.”

“Figure he’d be used to it by now.” The instructor says and Marcella and I lose our shit.