Nikko remained frozen, still on one knee, eyes wide beneath her dark bangs. Her breath caught in her throat as her mind scrambled for answers that didn't exist.
'Father… is here?'
'Why would Father come in person?' she thought, heart hammering. 'It can't possibly be because of Leon. He never showed the slightest care what happened to him. No… that doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense. I need to know what's happening.'
A few steps behind her, Elizabeth gripped her own arm tightly, trying to keep her hands from shaking. Her mind, too, was spiraling.
'That was the Governor…'
'The Governor.'
'Why would the Governor, the supreme head of all military power in the federation, just casually be in a clinic room?'
'And why was he talking to Leon like they'd planned something? Like equals?'
As if their thoughts weren't already unsteady enough, the man in question, calm, composed, amd terrifyingly casual, turned slightly toward Leon.
