"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Denella's House, Belle City, 10:21a.m
"Oww, that hurts!" Raphael winced in pain.
"Hold on, I'm almost finished." Denella said as she threaded the last stitch on his left shoulder. "You're lucky, your injury could have been much worse."
"Why are you doing this?" He questioned.
"What do you mean?" She answered in a question, still focused on his now patched up injury.
"Why are you helping me?"
"Just be glad, I don't do this often."
"Well," he paused, "Thanks."
"Why did you take the bullet for me?" she asked him.
"I don't know. You just look like something special that's worth taking a bullet for." he replied.
Sanfield Pub, Sanfield, 11:01a.m
"What is wrong with you? You locked me in there for more than two hours! How could you? It was so stuffy and small in there, and I'm claustrophobic! We were supposed to do this mission together. Didn't you hear Mr. Reed?"
"First of all, I never follow the rules. Second of all, if John hears you call him that, he'll freak. You are not to say a word about this to him, or I'll rip your throat out."
"You're the one who should get your throat ripped out because you--"
Denella pinned Brandon to the wall holding his throat. She whispered in his ear, "Don't you dare tell me what should happen to me."
Brandon gulped.
T.E.R.S.E. Headquarters, Belle City, 11:19a.m
Raphael barged into Terrance's office. "Terrance, someone was at Judy's apartment. It was this man and he had a gun. I recognized him." Raphael stated.
"Are you okay? A-Are you hurt?" asked Terrance.
"No, I'm fine."
"Who was it?"
There was a long pause. Raphael took a deep breath. "Celcus."
R.O.S.S. Headquarters, Belle City, 11:26a.m
"Oakley, Switz, did you find anything?" John asked.
"There was someone there. It was Celcus, Judy's ex. He had a gun, but I'm fine . . . I mean, we're fine."
"Of course Brandon's fine . . . because he didn't even go to the apartment with you."
"Yeah, we both went, like you instructed. What makes you think we both didn't go?"
"Denella, you locked Brandon in the storage room at the Sanfield Pub. Turns out, Brandon is really, really intelligent. He used the materials he had there to make a device and sent out a signal to us. This proves to me that he is responsible enough to go on his own missions."
"What? Doesn't he need training?"
"Working for R.O.S.S. isn't all about training, it's about teamwork. And if you can't handle that . . . then I think that I might have to suspend for breaking the rules and not obeying my orders."