The next morning at the Novak University, Chloe promised herself to be unbiased and unprejudiced in her evaluations this afternoon. She immediately went to the headmaster’s quarters only to be met by incoherent screaming from two men.

Almost immediately, she could actually hear Rahkaze’s voice echoing around the room.

“Oh, no…” Chloe whines as she barges into the room without even knocking, trying to stop a potential fistfight between Rahkaze and the headmaster of the University. Fortunately felt was already sitting down his couch while Rahkaze was hovering over him.

She immediately got between the two, “Gentleman! Is there a problem?”

“Yes, Agent Serpentine, could you get this guy away from me?! He’s giving me a headache!” Dolph pleaded.

“He’s a weapon specialist who is under retainer of my investigation, sir,” Chloe said. Even though he wasn’t, she wanted to save Rahkaze from a night in jail. And since she has the power to give anybody permission to become an outside consultant in her investigation, Rahkaze was pretty much a perfect fit. Chloe always looked at Rahkaze as a disruptive force in the right way and will play with a significant role in finding better results.

Rahkaze scoffed at the fact he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, “What’s the matter, Dolph? You can let your sister bust your balls at a moment’s notice, but I’m too much for you?!” He teased.

With his head in his hands, Dolph tried his best to defuse such tension, “Rahkaze, I thought we were past this…”

“No, we're not! Giving a piece of paper to your phony ass school and a pat on the head is not going to bring my two friends back,” Rahkaze denied. “I turned a blind eye and deaf ear to your Mickey Mouse club bullshit, and you went behind my back and buttered up to Serpentine? But I’m on to you, you fucking phony! I am on to all of you, and you are not going to burn her or Mercy, because I will light a match and burn this fucking place to the ground again!”

“Alright, enough. Your sentiments are dearly noted, Zayne.” Chloe stepping in. Although she is a law enforcement agent, she didn’t take it as an insult. Rahkaze sees Chloe as a friend he wants to protect from people like Dolph, and she was appreciative of it.

“Well, somebody has to say it, Chloe. ‘Oleander Syndicate.’ You guys were named after a fucking flower, yet you call us fairies! ‘Oh, we are the Oleander Syndicate, we’re a beautiful but poisonous like the flower. We are something evil!’” Rahkaze mocked.

Sliding on his couch, Dolph felt like giving up as he turned to Chloe for mercy, “Jehovah God Almighty, does he ever shut up?”

But the blank expression on her face, Chloe answered truthfully, “Many people have tried, sir. And many have failed…”

Rahkaze scoffed as he shook his head, “If you can’t stomach the fucking truth, then you might as well write your letter of resignation and get fuck out of office… Everyone has been saying the same goddamned thing for years that you are too soft! So, you’re telling me I’m the only one who went up to you and say it to your face?”

Dolph threw his hands up and surrender, “That’s it! Since you are here, Rahkaze, I am giving you to Cynthia Devorah!”

Chloe was taken aback by this decision out of the blue, “Sir, I need--”

“This is a part of your ‘investigation,’ Detective Constable Serpentine! It is! The New Scotland Yard salvaged the bomb parts from the Mark 77!”

Rahkaze cocked an eyebrow knowing that Dolph shipped him off with another ‘hard-bodied female’ from the Oleander syndicate, “Okay, and who is this Cynthia Devorah?”

“Someone who will put the ass in line if you cross her, so suggest you be a good little boy, Zayne! You’re excused, thank you and good-bye…”

Even though Rahkaze was reluctant to go and follow Dolph’s orders, Chloe assuredly pats him on the back and decides to finally leave the office.

Finally, to be able to breathe again, Dolph rose from the couch and made his way to his office desk, “Serpentine, I’m putting you in charge of the evaluations. However, you like to handle it and who will start first…”

“I’m going to start with the Nether Elite. Since Natalia Silvestri is the--”

“Why the hell not?!” Dolph interrupted Chloe.

“Whenever she’s ready, we will begin with her and then start with the rest of her team,” Chloe announced.

Dolph took a deep breath, knowing there is no way around this, “She’ll be ready early this afternoon…”

“Thank you, sir,” not wanting to push your luck, Chloe left the office.

Immediately, Dolph used a smartphone and texted Natalia to come to his office. Meanwhile, Chloe tracked down a swaggering Rahkaze as he was walking down the hallway. She caught up to him and gave him a smack on the shoulder.

“I don’t know what you are trying to do, Rahkaze, but if you want to get thrown out, you are doing a good job at it!” Chloe lambasted.

“Or maybe this what I wanted in the first place,” Rahkaze smirked.

“As in?”

“I meant every word back there. No matter how much they try to homogenize their image, this is still a toxic environment. They embrace such toxicity; they are proud of it. Stoking the fires of competition of others to do better…” He explained, but Chloe stopped him as she looked right into his eyes, being sincere.

“Kaz, Barack Obama once said this about change: ‘Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.’ Nothing is the same forever as we move forward.”

“I remember. He even said that you can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig,” Rahkaze rebutted as this gets an eye roll from Chloe.

“Just don’t piss anyone off. This is supposed to be a clean slate! So until otherwise, keep the savagery to a minimum!” She urged.

Knowing she was the boss and was sincere about doing her job thoroughly, Rahkaze still couldn’t help himself being the goofy best friend as he comically stood straight and stuck his chest out, “Consider it done, Detective Constable Serpentine,” Rahkaze saluted as he comically marched away.

Chloe blushed in embarrassment and frustration as she crosses her arms, “I… I worked hard to earn this; you know!” She defended.

“Yup!” Rahkaze ribbed.