Nathalie follows me to my door.

"Gather the troops in the Quadrant tomorrow at ten hundred hours," I say to her by wayof good-bye. "I'll have to make an announcement about these recent events as well aswhat's to come."

"Yes, sir," Nathalie says. She doesn't look up. She hasn't looked at me since we left thewarehouse.

I have other matters to worry about.

Not counting Nathalie's stupidity, there are an infinite number of things I must take careof right now. I can't afford any more difficulties, and I cannot be distracted. Not by her.Not by Nathalie. Not by anyone. I have to focus.

This is a terrible time to be wounded.

News of our situation has already hit a national level. Civilians and neighboring sectorsare now aware of our minor uprising, and we have to tamp down the rumors as much aspossible. I have to somehow defuse the alerts Nathalie has already sent out, andsimultaneously suppress any hope of rebellion among the citizens. They're already tooeager to resist, and any spark of controversy will reignite their fervor. Too many havedied already, and they still don't seem to understand that standing against TheAkuma is asking for more destruction. The civilians must be pacified.

I do not want war in my sector.

Now more than ever, I need to be in control of myself and my responsibilities. But mymind is scattered, my body fatigued and wounded. All day I've been inches fromcollapsing, and I don't know what to do. I have no idea how to fix it. This weakness isforeign to my being.

In just two days, one girl has managed to cripple me.

I've taken even more of these disgusting pills, but I feel weaker than I did this morning. Ithought I could ignore the pain and inconvenience of a wounded shoulder, but thecomplication refuses to diminish. I am now wholly dependent on whatever will carry methrough these next weeks of frustration. Medicine, medics, hours in bed.

All this for a kiss.

It's almost unbearable.

"I'll be in my office for the rest of the day," I tell Nathalie. "Have my meals sent to myroom, and do not disturb me unless there are any new developments."

"Yes, sir."

"That'll be all, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir."

I don't even realize how ill I feel until I close the bedroom door behind me. I stagger to thebed and grip the frame to keep from falling over. I'm sweating again and decide to stripthe extra coat I wore on our outside excursion. I yank off the blazer I'd carelessly tossedover my injured shoulder this morning and fall backward onto my bed. I'm suddenlyfreezing. My good hand shakes as I reach for the medic call button.

I need to get the dressing on my shoulder changed. I need to eat something substantial.And more than anything else, I desperately need to take a real shower, which seemsaltogether impossible.

Someone is standing over me.

I blink several times but can only make out the general outline of their figure. A facekeeps coming in and out of focus until I finally give up. My eyes fall closed. My head ispounding. Pain is searing through my bones and up my neck; reds and yellows and bluesblur together behind my eyelids. I catch only clips of the conversation around me.

-seems to have developed a fever-

-probably sedate him-

-how many did he take?-

They're going to kill me, I realize. This is the perfect opportunity. I'm weak and unable tofight back, and someone has finally come to kill me. This is it. My moment. It has arrived.And somehow I can't seem to accept it.

I take a swipe at the voices; an inhuman sound escapes my throat. Something hard hitsmy fist and crashes to the floor. Hands clamp down on my right arm and pin it in place.Something is being tightened around my ankles, my wrist. I'm thrashing against thesenew restraints and kicking desperately at the air. The blackness seems to be pressingagainst my eyes, my ears, my throat. I can't breathe, can't hear or see clearly, and thesuffocation of the moment is so terrifying that I'm almost certain I've lost my mind.

Something cold and sharp pinches my arm.

I have only a moment to reflect on the pain before it engulfs me.