PROJECT: Incarnation

The Truth | 44

Life is a long road that occasionally will lead straight into a dead end. The real question is, how you get out of that dead end? How do you leave it behind like every other obstacle and proceed with your life? Caitlyn didn't have the answer to that. In fact, she felt she had no answers about anything. This was it. This was the end of the line for her.

But what surprised her the most was the fact that she didn't even care. She didn't feel a damn thing. No worry, no sadness, no nothing. Caitlyn was empty. She acted like she had run out of emotions, like she was empty. After the overwhelming amount of emotions she had felt the night of the betrayal, there was nothing left. An empty vessel.

It was ironic how Vi made her feel all those things and then in the end, she tossed her aside, rendering unable to feel anything at all. Vi had fucked her up beyond repair, or so it seemed.

Caitlyn had listened to the Board of Directors' ruthless confrontation silent, only blinking. They didn't give her a chance to defend herself. Although, she wouldn't have even if they had, simply because there was nothing to defend. She had been caught in her sleep, like a trainee. There was no excuse for a professional like her. And even though it was not up to the Board to decide that, her firing was inevitable by the looks of it.

That didn't surprise her at all.

And frankly, Caitlyn simply didn't care. She couldn't bring herself to care even about her own life at this point.

Normally, she would be scared. But that was not the case any longer.

After that so tragically over, she had to pay Tythonus Cayton one last visit at his office. It could have been Caitlyn's office one day, when Cayton would decide to retire and leave the younger generation take over. But even that had grumbled like a paper tower. Caitlyn had never had ambitions on becoming the Administrator of TPA. But the lingering thought of it once felt nice. Now it didn't matter.

Caitlyn walked inside the office and unexpectedly thought of the first time she had stepped in here months ago, when she had first returned to this timeline to report back to Cayton. It felt eons ago. Like a very old memory. What she could recall from that meeting was that she had been left frustrated with him. How the roles had switched so drastically.

Even know, it was really hard to read Cayton. Sometimes, Caitlyn saw herself in him. The emotionless act - even though it wasn't an act anymore -, the precision, the confidence in every move and decision. However, he was still there and she was about to leave the TPA forever. How fate works sometimes.

This time, he didn't offer her a drink. He didn't say a word as he signed some papers. He refused to look at her until it was absolutely necessary. Caitlyn preferred it like that. She did not wish any kind of sympathy from him, or anyone, for that matter. Once he finished signing the papers, he handed them to her. He had probably prepared them once the news had spread between the TPA. That's why he filled them in a matter of minutes.

"You'll submit that down at the reception. Before you do that, you'll have to visit the armory and return all your weapons and equipment," Cayton instructed. "You'll have to sign some more papers you need to submit as well."

Caitlyn nodded, giving the papers a brief look. Her gaze locked back onto Cayton when she heard him sigh.

"I cannot believe I had to do that," he admitted. "I'm sorry, Caitlyn. I wish there was something I could have done."

Caitlyn didn't respond. She kept staring blankly at him. Cayton was not discouraged by the lack of response.

"You were undoubtedly one of the best Pulsefires this agency had the luck of working with. You had a really bright future ahead. I'm saddened it has to end that way. Alas! I wish you the best of luck with whatever you're planning on doing with your life from now on. You're still rather young, there's always room for success elsewhere." He stood up and extended a hand. "Farewell, Caitlyn."