Killroy's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

Killroy tried to salvage it. He asked which parts she had reported, whether she had mentioned the timing, if there was any way to clarify the context before the review. The officer shook her head at each question. She had sent everything two days ago. The overseer's office had confirmed receipt. There was nothing left to negotiate. She pulled a folded document from her jacket and held it out. It was a copy of the report form, stamped and dated, with Killroy's identification number in the third column. The officer said she was sorry, but she had followed protocol. Then she walked away. Killroy stood beneath the statue and looked at the paper. Six days until the review. Six days until the overseer opened his file and found the flag. The perfect record he had built this cycle would not matter. The audit would reach back through the years and find the old rule, and the overseer would reset everything to zero. Killroy folded the paper once, then again, until it was small enough to fit in his pocket. He had wanted proof that the officer had protected him. Instead, he had proof that she had ended him. The blade had already fallen. He was just waiting for the rest of the system to notice.