Calm and Calamity

Chapter 39

Henry swallowed and then replied, "yes, sir."

"Everyone else suggested assigning you to a different sector, but I disagreed. I put my faith in you, Henry, that you would remain professional and unbiased just like your father was." Schreier placed a hand on the desk and leaned in close, his voice low and quiet. "I did not make a mistake, did I, Henry?"

"No, sir," answered Henry, shaking his head. He raised his head, his back and shoulders straight.

"Good." A smile appeared on the Lead Director's lips. The man stepped around and returned to his seat, then sat down. "As Sector Head, it is your duty to make sure that the prisoners continue to suffer and fight for our sponsors' amusement. That peace treaty needs to be broken, Best. I trust that you will find a way soon."

"Yes, sir." Henry bowed his head. "Of course."

"I do not want to have to reassign you... or replace you, Best." Schreier paused then motioned to the door. "That is all; you are dismissed."

"Thank you, sir," said Henry, surprised that he managed to speak without choking up. The young Sector Director stood up from his seat, gave a respectful bow to his boss, then headed to the exit.

As he was about to leave through the door, Lead Director Schreier called out, "oh, and Best?"

Henry stopped and looked back. "Yes, Lead Director?"

Schreier stared at the young man for a moment before finally continuing, "Corinna Warren... She is not your family anymore. She no longer was when she betrayed the Crown and was sent down into the Eternal Abyss. That person down there is a criminal just like the rest of them."

Biting down on his lip, Henry silenced himself, not wishing to make any retort that he would immediately regret and get him fired. Instead, he glanced down at the floor solemnly. "Yes, sir."

The Lead Director sighed and brushed his fingers through his hair. "I know what you are going through, Henry. My own son is down there, or what used to be him. But you cannot let your own personal bonds interfere with justice." Schreier cleared his throat. "Just get that damned peace treaty to end, Best."

"Of course, sir." Giving one last respectful farewell and thank you, Henry exited the office. Only when he walked all the way to his car and got inside did he let himself finally breathe out, his forced smile shattering. His hands clenched tightly onto the steering wheel as he calmed down, muttering to himself, 'I can do this, I can do this, I can do this...'

*

"I can't do this..." Henry flopped his head on the table, his arms sprawled across it. He had stayed up for hours, late into the night, powered by coffee and the fear of unemployment to keep himself awake. Everyone else in the office had already left, the lights all turned off apart from the one in his own office. There was nothing he could do to fix everything, to break the peace treaty, nothing he could think of.

From the outside, he could only manipulate the weather partially in the Eternal Abyss if it was in proximity of a portal; at most, he could create a sandstorm, but how could that help break an alliance?

There was a slither of hope that a new prisoner would arrive and disrupt everything as Bryce had done, but very rarely would prisoners choose to live in the desert willingly. Their country had the lowest crime rate in the world. However, there was a significant spike when Queen Corinna IX's reign began due to the controversial acts that proved her to be unpopular, they had now settled, and the country went back to one of the top low crime rate countries, but not first anymore. Because of this, there would be no new prisoners, especially when the queen was willing to throw people into the Eternal Abyss for as little as treason. No one would dare oppose her now.