“What was the reaction time for your squad?” the lawyer asked the security officer. The question felt like it was more of a formality rather than a piece of information the arbiters lacked.

“Two minutes.”

“Those looked like E.M.I. uniforms to me.” Seth hated himself for pointing it out.

The curt turn of the corner of the security officer’s mouth reinforced the complex shame in the schools need to have the E.M.I. protect a single elite to begin with.

“And she still got hurt,” the security officer concluded, implying that E.M.I. was overrated. Pride restored, Seth knew the next set of questions were likely going to be used to discredit him, something that would stick to his record and leave a stink.

Seth replayed the snippet, activating the timer through the digital console on the table. He announced every minute. He noted that the E.M.I. watched the attack, maintaining their position as though following orders. Every escape point had been blocked with at least two agents, with more patrolling the rings. He smiled to himself, Astral used herself as bait, but how did she know William would attend the festivities? Was this her plan, or was it part of her orders? Either way, the E.M.I. did let her get hurt before pulling William away. The situation bothered him. Was this the E.M.I. reminding Astral of her place? Reminding her that accidents happen? These were her allies…

Two minutes later and the ordeal was coming to a close. “Three minutes,” Seth announced as he fiddled with gaining access to an overhead map. The scene cut off and looped again. “So we don’t actually know how long it took for your team to reach the scene.” He regretted those words, knowing he was digging himself a little deeper with each cut. “The Daamon’s are wealthy for a reason. I may not know Astral well, but I do know she’s a top tier student. I have no reason to believe that the Councilman is any less protective of his investments. The question you’re going to need to address is where were your men? Especially since most of the students were present in the central ring and courtyard. That’s where they’ll hit you first. Derail that attack and everything else might fall apart.”

Disdain touched the soldier’s jaw. He didn’t appreciate the help. He was a teenager after all, the age group who needs to be told what to do, not the other way around. Seth sighed, shut down the image, and sat back. Maybe there was something to hide in their failure. If the Daamon’s required the leverage, they’d check it out themselves. He needed to keep himself clean as much as possible.

“Sorry,” Seth said and lowered his eyes. “Too many detective stories lately. Would it be appropriate if I ask on her condition?” There was a long heavy pause, the answer would reveal the backbone of this shake down. They were delaying his sentence. He felt guilty for thinking that they wanted more than to give a good kid a break. Maybe he wasn’t far off the mark; too much intrigue lately had made him suspicious. Something in the way they presented their case didn’t sit right, though he wasn’t sure of the signs.

“You’d best worry about yourself,” the security officer said.

Seth nodded. Isolation. That was it! Desire; the bait. The crime and proof; leverage for cooperation. Isolation; no one to trust except for the people giving him a way out.

They were going to treat William’s outburst as fact, an investigation would follow but their minds were made up. What was in it for them? He felt more than a little paranoid and immediately felt foolish. They had no connection to the people involved, no hidden agenda, no vendetta, just liabilities.

“I’ll be honest with you, young man. You haven’t done yourself any favours in this interview. Your infraction will have to be placed on your record. There will be serious consequences. Maybe not right now, but somewhere down the line, you’ll find that your situation is a lot harder than it needs to be. When that happens, I want you to think back on today.” There was a sincerity in the older man’s eyes, something reminiscent of experience. “I know you think you’re doing the right thing.” His words were smothered with good intentions.

“The Council’s Academy employs the very best to provide top-notch security for our young elite.” The lawyer’s serpentine’s smile coiled around his words, “so that gentlemen like you, needn’t worry yourself about such trivial details. You need to focus if you intend to win this year’s game.” His smile broadened but it didn’t belong on a face like his.

The officer gave the lawyer a minute before nodding. “Right.” The older man rubbed his brow and frown at his tablet. “There’s no easy way to say this, but you chose the wrong time to act out. Given the ordeal in today’s games, you’re lucky that you’ll be allowed to command your squad. You won’t be playing though.”

“That suspension could be lifted of course,” the lawyer said, his smile closing in to suffocate its victim. “If you, yourself were a victim of misleading circumstances. Do we understand each other?”

Seth arched a brow glimpsing a way out. “What would I need to do? My team relies on me.”