The lecture commenced. Weird shit was taking place. From what was talked about, there were some occult rituals taking place, and some of the members participating were Enhanced Individuals of Power. Intel had been gathered from informant phone calls as well as fliers published by anti-occult organizations. While the name of the organization hadn’t been confirmed, there were abductions and wild displays of violence in public places by masked men in hooded robes. Their fast movements and displays of strength caught on video by witnesses were the key indicators that these were EIP’s.

The task being given was for Michael to figure out where these people were, and what they were doing. As such, he was expected to put a stop to their activities. He sat there staring at the powerpoint as Tom laid the details out. Lani appeared to be the only one who was excited to be sitting at the table watching the powerpoint presentation.

“What’s our rules of engagement?” Lani asked with her hand halfway raised.

“With what,” Bernard piped up, “why is she asking that?”

Michael raised an eyebrow as he squinted angrily at Bernard. “I didn’t know you were giving this brief,” he said through his teeth, “But since you wanna participate, answer her question.” Lani lowered her head and started leaning back when Michael placed his hand on her wrist and looked at her. “You asked a good question, Bernards just a bitch.” Lani giggled as she lifted her head back up. Bernard scowled, knowing he had no ground to gripe from.

Tom threw his hands up, “I agree,” he said with a big smile as he tried to bring the focus back to the brief. “If they’re armed and doing something that they shouldn’t, then do something about it.” He clicked the next slide. “As you know, EIP’s are subject to different rules. They cannot be arrested, they are not subject to nonlethal considerations and you might know by now that announcing what you are to people might be best left not done.”

“We’re a lesser people now?” Lani piped up as her smile left her face. “We need to be just killed off?”

Tom's eyes went wide as he started to realize how his explanation sounded. Before he could speak up and clarify, Bernard opened his mouth with words that began to spill out. “Clearly they’re a threat to others and need to be dealt with,” he started to speak up, “They’re excessively dangerous and you shouldn’t take any chances.”

Michael slammed his fist on the table. A slight dent formed where he struck. The room fell silent. Michael looked directly at Bernard with a wrathful gaze. “Do you not hear yourself,” he asked, “Do you not listen when your mouth starts shitting?” He stood up, walking to the front of the room, looking at Tom. “May I?” he asked before starting in and taking over the briefing. Tom nodded and stepped away from the projector screen. “Thank you,” he said calmly to Tom before addressing the rest of the table. “When you refer to Enhanced Individuals of Power, you need to remember the one thing that they have in common with the rest of you,” he said in a well projected voice. “They’re people. Constitutionally protected people, with the same human rights as everyone else.” He turned to Tom. “Take no chances against armed individuals, minimize collateral damage and treat noncombatants with respect, would that be a fair understanding of the rules of engagement?”

Tom nodded, “I should have had you give this brief.”

Michael shook his head, “the fuck you want me to do that for, so I can offend the lieutentative folks in the back?” Before he could take an answer to his remark, he walked to the door as he gestured to Lani for her to follow him.

As they made it down the hall, Lani grabbed Michaels arm to stop him. “Michael,” he said with a seemingly frantic sadness in her voice, “Are we the new scapegoat? The target race? The new genocide punchline?”

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Michael looked into her eyes with heartfelt sadness from what he was hearing. “We’re not being exterminated,” he said softly, “We’re targeting people who made bad choices, enhanced or otherwise.”

“That’s now how they made it sound,” Lani said as her eyes watered.

“Tom misspoke, and Bernard’s a piece of shit.” Michael pulled a napkin out of his pocket and tore it in half, placing the two pieces under her eyes. “Years ago, that little fuck had a woman killed because she was an inconvenience.” As Lani’s tears began making their escape from her eyes, he caught them with the torn napkin. “She owned a building and her tits were heavy,” he said as he dried her eyes. “He saw her as a liability and had her assassinated during some diplomat meeting. He doesn’t respect human life, which is why we don’t take direction from him.”

Lani’s saddened facial expression slowly transformed to one of gentle hatred. “He had someone murdered because she was inconvenient?” she asked as her voice began to shake. Michael nodded softly. “How is he still here?” Michael gave no answers, because he had none. “You brutalized entire teams of people for less, why is he alive?”

“Because I did something worse than physically destroying him,” he said as he pulled her close and held her tightly in his arms, “I left this agency behind and worked on my own. That’s why I’m an outsource asset instead of ‘Agent Kramer’ or some bullshit.”

“But he’s alive,” Lani whispered.

“At the time I would have faced more trouble for killing him,” Michael said, “But now that I’m not his coworker, he knows he can’t give orders and if he ever tries a stunt like that again, he’s got a list of old crimes to pay for.”

Lani nodded, her anger slowly subsided. “Occult rituals, huh?”

Michael chuckled, “yeah, probably some fairytale bullshit. Big battles, property damage, some crying bitches, some idiot shit.”

“And more guns for our collection?” Lani giggled. “I want food, you should feed me.”

Michael chuckled. “Food? What are you, a hungry girl?”

Lani glared at him. “Yes!” she yipped at him, “I am a hungry goddamn girl! Gimme food before I break into Bern-heads office and chew his computer cables!”

Laughing, Michael turned to the exit and went with Lani to the Suburban. Tossing their jackets back on hangers, they went on to a McDonald’s drive-thru and ordered food.