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And now, here he was. Probably confused as hell.

Hector tried to think of something else to say, but nothing was coming to mind. Damn, this was getting awkward fast.

At length, Officer Michaels finally said something else. “Why are you bothering with this? Not that I’m not grateful, but... insurance already took care of my medical expenses, which weren’t even comparable to what you’re offering me here. You worried I’ll sue you or something? Because frankly, I don’t think I’d have much of a case. And even if I had, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to get this much out of you...”

There were a lot ways that Hector could answer that. He took a few moments to think through them all before settling on the simplest one. “I just think it’s the right thing to do.”

Fred held his gaze steadily, saying nothing.

“I’m sorry for making you come all the way out here, by the way. I intended to visit you in Klein, but uh, some wires got crossed, I guess. And then you showed up before I could fix them.”

“It’s fine. Wanted some time away from the wife and kids, anyway.”

Was that a joke? Probably. Hector decided to smile. “How are things over in Klein, by the way?”

“Uh... pretty normal, I’d say. Why do you ask?”

“No real reason. Guess I’m just curious about how people are doing across the country. What with the war and everything.”

“Oh.” Fred allowed a beat to pass. “Well, if you want a beat cop’s opinion, then I’d say that people are scared, but not all that much more than usual. Foreign conflicts have always been terrifying to hear about. This one’s just a bit closer than we’d like.”

Understandable, Hector supposed. It wasn’t so long ago that he’d felt similarly. Hearing about wars abroad felt unsettling but thankfully also quite distant. So when that distance began to shrink...

“Way I hear it,” said Fred, “you’ve gotten involved with Lorent, which is even closer to the war than we are. You plannin’ on sticking your neck out even further than that?”

What a question. Hector felt like he should be firm here. “Not at all. The exact opposite, actually. I feel like if I do something crazy, it might put Atreya at risk, which is the last thing I want.”

“Ah. Big hero with big concerns, eh?”

Hector didn’t know what to say to that.