Agent Vick's eyebrow twitched. His voice low, probing, he leaned forward slightly and asked,
"Equally...?"
He paused, voice growing sharper. "How exactly do you want me to treat this matter equally?"
Samuel didn't flinch. He answered coolly, tone firm but respectful,
"Sir, with all due respect—you didn't give us a proper introduction to X-Division. If not for us coming into the department store to buy ties, we wouldn't have even known this was a hideout. We thought you shared the wrong location. We thought it was X-Mart, not X-Division."
He glanced sideways at Danny, who gave a small nod. Samuel continued, voice gaining momentum,
"We were expecting a huge military-grade fortress. Steel walls, security checkpoints, soldiers with rifles, the whole deal. Not... discounted socks and shampoo on aisle five."
Danny snorted telepathically but kept a straight face.
Samuel's eyes sharpened.
"If you had warned us or even briefed us that there are demon agents here, we would've been cautious. Alert. Careful. But you didn't. That's the first mistake, sir and it's on you."
Agent Vick stiffened, but Samuel pressed on.
"I hope you understand " Samuel said, leaning forward slightly, voice dropping to something colder, something that didn't sound like a rookie at all,
"We're not just new interns desperate for field experience. We didn't stumble into this. We were chosen by Hell. We are here to banish demons. It's not just a job for us. It's our duty bounded with our soul."
Danny nodded again, serious now.
Samuel's tone shifted, carrying a chilling humor.
"If I wanted to be petty, I could just complain to the Lord of Hell himself. Report that X-Division is obstructing Hell's Enforcers from doing their job."
He gave a casual shrug. "But I don't want to let your souls rot in Hell, sir. You seem like decent people. We're reasonable. We want to work together. We want to be part of X-Division for the greater good of this society."
Vick opened his mouth but shut it again, jaw tightening. Danny did shoulder bump on Samuel. "Dude be serious!" and warn him telepathically .
Samuel gives a small laugh. "The complaint to Hell Lord was a joke but it's true obstruction to Hell Enforcer is no joke. Sir, what you experience earlier was after effect of me trying to safe a demon and giving up of demon banishment. Imagine me the hell chosen was punish like that, what about the common mortal. When you visit the underworld after your due in this mortal world, there will be consequences. Its all Karma."
Samuel wasn't done.
"And the second mistake, respectfully, was Agent Nick. As an experienced senior agent, he failed to properly assess the situation. He rushed to conclusions and attacked an innocent party that's on him."
Danny internally cheered at Samuel's mic-drop points but stayed poker-faced.
Samuel took a breath and concluded,
"So even though we're actually innocent in the whole disaster that took place, we still stepped up. We cleaned up the mess. We fulfilled our part. We didn't run. We didn't complain.
Now, about the damages by right, both of you should contribute. It's only fair. Because this wasn't just our mistake. It was everyone's oversight."
He sat back, folding his arms, cool and composed.
"Only this way, sir, will I find it fair for everyone."
The room fell silent.
Vick and Nick exchanged glances a silent, heavy exchange thick with unspoken frustration.
Nick's eyes were already turning red, veins around them twitching with barely contained anger.
Outside, another faint roll of thunder cracked the sky, a warning that even the heavens felt the tension brewing.
Agent Nick turned sharply and locked his gaze onto Samuel, his stare burning with an intensity that could ignite a fire.
"So, what you're saying," Nick said slowly, voice dripping with restrained rage, "is that it's only fair if they cut our salary instead of yours. That's what you're trying to say?"
A bitter laugh escaped him, dry and sharp.
"Well, very well then." He shot a look at Vick, voice rising slightly. "Agent Vick cut my salary. It was me who failed to assess the situation. Very good. Very wise. We have great new assets added to our division, it seems."
The sarcasm was thick enough to drown in.
Agent Nick stepped closer too close and bent slightly so his mouth was near Samuel's ear.
In a low, dangerous whisper, he said,
"Congratulations. You just unlocked Hell in the mortal world."
Without waiting for a response, Nick straightened, gave a final scoff, and stormed out of the office, the door creaking violently on its hinges behind him.
The silence he left behind was heavier than lead.
Agent Vick, still seated, stared at the boys for a long moment. His eyes were tired, tired in a way that had nothing to do with physical exhaustion.
Finally, after a slow, pained exhale, he spoke.
"Do you boys have any idea what you just did?"
Samuel and Danny remained still, saying nothing.
Vick leaned forward, his voice low and heavy.
"These people the ones you just pissed off they aren't just agents. They're the shadows woven into human society. They've been around longer than you think. They move in ways you can't even see yet."
He rubbed his temples again, looking like he aged a few years right there.
"It's not good to upset them. Sometimes you have to know when to push... and when to take a step back. Blend in. Play smart. Get along where you must. Survive first."
He pulled open a drawer with a soft click and tossed a file onto the desk. A thin, battered folder landed between them.
"Take this. It's your initial training schedule. Memorize it. Follow this."
He pointed to the door with a slow wave.
"Go to the canteen. Get something to eat. Then go get some rest."
The boys picked up the file, exchanged a look and without another word, left the office.
Behind them, Agent Vick leaned back heavily in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. His voice dropped even lower, almost a whisper.
"You're going to need that rest."
—
The corridor felt colder now.
Their footsteps echoed softly down the sterile hallway, and for a while, neither of them spoke. Not aloud, at least.
Finally, after a few minutes of tense silence, Samuel reached out telepathically.
"Did I overdo it?"
Danny shot him a side glance—one part tired, one part impressed.
"I begged you to keep your mouth shut." He sighed. "But... you actually did the right thing."
Samuel blinked, surprised.
Danny continued, his thoughts laced with honesty and caution.
"Look, I won't lie, we've stirred up a hornet's nest. Agent Nicks? Furious. Agent Rex? Probably plotting murder. And Agent Vick? Let's just say... he looked like a man reconsidering all his career choices."
Samuel scratched the back of his head, his face forming an awkward apology.
"I dunno, man. Everything I do ends in a bang. It's like a curse."
Danny rolled his eyes but didn't interrupt.
Samuel's tone grew more serious, more grounded.
"But I meant what I said. I'd rather speak up and get hated than stay silent. If we don't draw the line now, there'll be ten more screw-ups like this. Ten more times we'll get blamed. So yeah... even if they're pissed... I don't regret it.I have a feeling the way of thing work here is the way of survival of the fittest"
He paused for a moment, then added,
"I'd rather be called a rebel than a being loser. And let's be real if we were full-on rebels, we wouldn't have cleaned up that entire mess. But we did. We did our part. We followed through."
Danny nodded slowly, understanding settling into his face.
"Yeah... we did. But damn, bro... I think your talent for starting chaos might be an SSS-rank ability."
To Be Continue