"I'm sorry."

Nilo walked into the jail cell on one of the days. So distracted I'd been, I'd not even noticed him until I heard the clang of the unlocked door.

I gave him the sharpest look I had left in me. I think even Tasha might have been proud of the fire within it.

"Please. I'm not a week old. Spare me your bromides. (tsk) I've gotta say, you really had me going. I thought we had something."

I almost felt pity for the man as I saw the pained look on his face.

"We did," he said sadly. "We could still."

At the withering look on my face, he stared down at the floor again like a beaten puppy.

"Are you joking me? Hah, wow, you're a real piece of work." I knew it was neither fair nor productive to take out all of my frustration on him, but I couldn't help myself once I got started, and it poured out with increasing force like a crack in a dam. "You led me here like a lamb to the slaughter, and I'm sure you know who and what I am, now. Or did you just want to keep my pretty face around once I can no longer change it? It's not real, you know."

He sat there for long moments, staring at the ground, until I started to wonder if I really had hurt his feelings. I tried to stop it, but the idea that I'd done so caused me no small amount of pain inside.

"What's it like?" He looked at me with something like compassion on his face. "Doing all those missions, putting on all those faces, you know... that stuff."

I sat back against the cold stone wall and breathed out slowly.

"It's like being one whorl in an endless tide breaking upon history," I ventured. "We're the good guys, Nilo. If you care at all for the future of Casilan, you'd let me go so I can do my job for another thousand years. I don't know what they've told you, but this can't come to any good."

He looked up at a corner of the room. "Well... Let's say I've heard multiple sides to this story, and I have my own ideas about right and wrong. And HQ are in a grey area at best."

He let loose with one of those patented Nilo mischief smiles that made it impossible not to smile back.

"Would you rather it be a different place?" he continued. "If they had a retirement plan, would you leave? Would you take a break and travel with me?"

The sudden barrage of questions going every which way briefly knocked me off my mental balance. The last even echoed some of my own confused feelings.

I tried to get back on a level, grabbing for my anger.

"We're not even on the same level of existence, pal," I replied, looking away from him. "I've lived at least fifty of your present lifetimes. Whatever you've heard, they intend to do good. We all do. Depriving HQ of Agents isn't going to solve anything."

Nilo looked thoughtful, nodding and standing, smiling.

"It wasn't a lie. And I've made sure they treated you well. Give us a chance."