We were chatting about Alexandria when she started explaining how the taxis worked.

“The newest S-rank has the ability to link objects together. He’s linked cars to specific routes, making our logistics way more efficient. Supplies arrive faster, troop movement is smoother—basically, it’s revolutionized the city. But it also wiped out public transport. Now taxis and buses have to be self—” She stopped mid-sentence, narrowing her eyes. “You’re not listening, are you?”

I hesitated, then admitted the truth. “You make it sound cool… but what does logistics even mean? And why is it cool?”

She sighed, giving me a look that was half amusement, half exasperation, before launching into an explanation. Somehow, that led to a discussion about the only pizza place in Alexandria.

After a while, she said, “Okay, Boris, I’m going to leave you for now. The others need a lesson too.” She turned to go, then suddenly stopped. “Wait.”

She studied me for a moment, something serious settling over her.

“Boris, I’m going to ask you this once, and I want an honest answer.”

I frowned, caught off guard by her intensity. “Alright.”

“Do you want to win the ascension tournament?”

The question hit like a slap.

“That came out of nowhere,” I said, forcing a laugh, but my stomach twisted.

I mean, that’s what everyone wanted, right? To win. To earn the black cloak. To be set for life.

“Well, I promised Sofia I’d kick her ass, but… I haven’t really thought about it. You know, actually winning.”

She went quiet for a moment, then spoke carefully, like she was choosing every word.

“The ascension tournament for B-ranks decides who becomes a high ranker. Only high rankers can enter the second ascension tournament. If someone wins that and the mid-year battle, they will be the ones in charge of your brigade.”

Her gaze dropped, and a hint of frustration crept into her voice.

“No B-rank has ever made it past the first two matches. And that only happened because Stoyan got paired with a chef,” she muttered, her expression dark with jealousy.

She lifted her eyes back to mine, serious again. “Boris, if you really want to fight Sofia, you’d have to win the tournament first. If that’s what you want, I’ll train you. Just like I’m training the others. I’ll help you win.” She straightened her back, pride and envy flickering in her expression, like she was guiding others to a treasure she could not possess.

I thought about it. And then I remembered what a fink is.

I was remembering a different time, after I'd just killed that cunt who’d raised me. I remembered a fink in black, laughing as he strolled toward a taxi, fire erupting from his hand, roaring with hell's delight. A purging flame that turned the taxi into a smoldering altar of sin, the smoke rising like an offering no one dared accept.

Then he turned to one of those finks in white, pointed his thumb over his shoulder cracking a joke. And they laughed.

Laughed, while men and women screamed behind them, begging to be let out.

I remembered how he looked at me when I was trying to shield Maria—his smile growing wider, like a demon had crawled into the man's soul and was parading around his corpse.

My stomach twisted, the heat of that fire still burning in my mind.

“No,” I said, my voice firm. “I will not be a fink in black. They're the worst of the worst.” I pinched the fabric of my white fink shirt, like the very feel of it disgusted me. “And I already hate this enough.”

The memory had soured everything. But when I glanced at the Lieutenant, standing there in the same uniform as those men that day… I didn’t see a monster.

I saw a friend.

She studied me for a long moment, then rested a hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure?”

I met her gaze, steady and unwavering.

“I’m sure.”

She nodded solemnly, patting my shoulder like she was consoling me. “Alright. So you want to be under my command for the next two years that bad, huh? I must be pretty good at this,” she said smugly, planting her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest.

Any lingering fear from the memory melted away when I saw her grinning.

“You’re great at this!” I said, a grin spreading across my face.

I paused, tapping my chin like I was deep in thought. “As long as you remember to speak loud enough for us to actually hear you. Or, you know, not forget the exercises we need to do.” I looked up, feigning sudden realization. “Oh! And using a tranquilizer as a threat? Genius! It’s not like every sleeveless isn’t already desperate for more sleep! But yeah, besides that? You’re fantastic.”

“You’re a little shit,” she said flatly, her face flushing in embarrassment. But she was smiling, so I figured it was okay.

“Anyway, I have to go. Some of the sleeveless actually want to win.” She paused, her tone shifting. “And seriously, Boris—don’t run to Alexandria again. If you’re caught, you will be executed.”

The casual way she said it made my stomach tighten.

She exhaled, softening. “For now, the cameras are off. I’m not going to push you to win. And…” She hesitated, eyeing me like she was dropping a hint, “…you didn’t sleep last night.”

She smirked. “I’ll be back in four hours. Until then, the room—without any cameras—is yours.” With that, she turned and walked away.

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The kind gesture hit me like a lightning bolt, leaving me stunned as I sat there.

I had to let her know. “I hate finks,” I called after her.

She paused, glancing over her shoulder.

“But I don’t hate you, Lieutenant,” I admitted, my voice quieter. “I’ll make a civvie of you yet.”

I walked over to the boxing bag and unhooked it. I felt her eyes linger on me for a moment, then the door opened and shut behind her.

And that’s when I discovered the greatest thing known to man.

A nap.

I woke up feeling like I’d been dropped into another dimension, Zach’s voice yanking me back to reality.

“Oi! Boris! Wake up already!”

I jolted upright, looking around, still half-asleep. “Yeah? What happened?” I mumbled, wiping spit off my face.

Zach huffed. “Come on! It’s dinner time! And why aren’t you training?” He gave me a look like I was daft.

“Because I don’t want to win the tournament,” I said, finger gunning as I walked towards him, leaving the boxing bag on the floor.

“Damn. I’ll try and win it for both of us!” he said, grinning. Then his tone shifted. “Just so you know, something happened with Kate and the Lieutenant earlier. We’ll hear about it at dinner.” And with that, he took off.

Curious, I followed, falling into formation with the others. That’s when I saw Kate.

She stared straight ahead, her eyes distant, empty. The others stole quick glances at her, then looked away, figuring she was fine. But I’d been around Maria long enough to recognize the look—she was barely holding back tears.

Before I could say anything, a commotion broke out.

Colonel Walker sprinted past us, a furious scowl twisting his face. A group of finks in white followed, their hands resting on the cuffs and guns at their hips, their expressions dark with anger.

“Split into teams! Contact the tower entrance—make sure it’s ready to intercept runaway Lieutenants!” Walker barked, his voice cracking through the air like a whip.

He lifted a device to his mouth. “Come in, Zenzele! Do you still have them surrounded?” His voice was raw with rage as he ran, until he disappeared from earshot.

We all stopped in our lines, watching them go. Then we glanced at each other, curiosity gnawing at us.

But we assumed it wasn't our business, and went to dinner.

I took a spot at the corner of the table, across from Anna. She was clutching Kate’s hand, rubbing her arm, murmuring something low and comforting.

The rest of the table wasn’t so patient.

“What happened?”

“Kate, are you okay?”

“Did someone—”

The questions swirled, but Kate ignored them, just playing with the mushed peas on her tray.

Then Marnus snapped. “She doesn’t want to talk about it! Just leave her alone!”

Silence dropped over the table like a stone.

I blinked. I didn’t even know the bugger could get angry, let alone order a table of forty people to shut up.

“I didn’t know you had balls, Marnus. I’m impressed,” said fucking Richard of all people, nodding at him like he’d just earned his respect.

I squinted at Richard. “Why are you like this? One moment you’re a bastard, the next you’re not. Can you make up your mind?”

He smirked. “No.”

I turned away from Richard, back to Marnus, about to say something when Kate’s voice cut through the tension.

“No, I’ll tell you.” Her voice was steady, but there was something fragile beneath it. “Sorry, I’m just a bit weepy. But I’m blessed. I can do this.” She straightened, her gaze meeting ours.

She took a breath. “One of the Lieutenants who beat Boris came into my room. Said he wanted to show me a few moves. When I said no, he threw me to the floor. We fought for a while…” Her voice wavered as she looked down, shame flickering across her face. “But he could make his hands bigger, so he just grabbed me. Held me down. I didn’t have enough things to build with.”

She hesitated, like the words were caught in her throat. Then, soft and strained, they fell out.

“He tried to rape me.”

A heavy silence smothered the table.

Then, slowly, Kate sat up straighter, something hard and proud creeping into her voice. “But I fought. I held him off long enough for Lieutenant Zenzele to arrive. We beat the crap out of him together.” A dangerous gleam lit up her eyes. “Fucker won’t walk straight ever again.”

I was furious.

Not just at him. At all of them.

Lust is the worst sin. They will suffer for that bastard’s ignorance.

Beside her, Anna kept rubbing her arm, their hands intertwined. Kate glanced at her, a small, grateful smile ghosting her lips.

“Thanks, Anna. But I’m okay. Really. It was scary, but the Lieutenant was there. So don’t worry.”

Marnus clenched his teeth, his voice a low growl. “I’m going to kill him. He will die. I’ll bury him sixty meters underground and let him suffocate.”

Richard gave a thoughtful nod. “Sometimes you speak a lot of sense.”

The others nodded in grim agreement. For once, I was right there with them.

Suffocation—that slow, lingering death—felt almost poetic. I’d prefer to feed him his own balls, but Marnus’s version worked too.

Kate reached over and squeezed Marnus’s hand, a wordless thank you.

“The Lieutenant was there. That’s all that matters,” she said, her voice softer now, but firm. “So I’m fine. You don’t have to worry.”

“Oh no, we’re very worried,” I said, but my tone had shifted. “But we’ll deal with it. We’ll cut that bastard’s head off.”

Kate nodded, but her eyes dropped, her expression darkening again.

I let the silence sit for a second, then tried to shift the mood. “You know, hearing that just makes me think of how amazing the Lieutenant is. I mean, she got me an apple earlier.” I kept my gaze steady on Kate, hoping to pull her out of her head.

Anna caught on. “She let me call my parents when I couldn’t join the tournament.”

“She didn’t make fun of me when the others called me a runt,” Marnus added, flicking a glance between Kate and me.

And then, I saw it—a real smile. Small, but there. Something almost like relief in Kate’s eyes.

“Well, she helped me kick the crap out of a rapist!” she said, the words coming out unexpectedly proud.

“She’s still sadistic, though,” I said, half-joking.

The table snickered in agreement.

And just like that, the stories started spilling out. One by one, the others shared their own moments with the Lieutenant. It wasn’t just me. It wasn’t just Kate. She’d done something kind for every single one of us. Even the ones outside the tournament.

I kept my focus on Kate throughout dinner, watching as the tension slowly left her shoulders.

But the thing that stuck with me the most?

The lieutenant wasn't being nice because of The General. It wasn’t some strategy to make me behave.

She was just… kind.

Huh. Good to know.

By the time we stood to leave, the atmosphere had shifted. Richard placed a hand on Marnus’ shoulder, giving him a light nudge toward Kate. “He won’t get away with this, Kate. We promise.” He said, his voice steady.

I arched an eyebrow, wondering when he’d planned this little show of solidarity. He just shrugged.

We made our way out. Nina and Anna walked with Kate to the ladies’ dormitory. I followed, a little more at ease.

The Lieutenant never showed up for our usual routine that night.

So we just showered, brushed our teeth, and went to bed. I counted only five hundred this time. Still furious at those bastards. But I’d deal with it tomorrow.

Tonight, my kids get to eat.