The meeting has finally ended after a couple of long hours. Everyone had left the room while carrying out his instructions to perform their assignments. Now, there was only one left inside this room: the commissioner himself, as he sat on one of the chairs alone.
With the police officers outside in the hallway, one could hear their chattering and talking as they all made their way towards the elevator in the laboratory. Each had the assigned role that their superior assigned them; some are gathering information while others are continuing the investigation, keeping an eye on the recent string of murders and mutilations.
The room was quiet and peaceful; only the sounds of the ticking clock and the faint noises outside could be heard. Carter leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath and exhaling, trying to relax after a long meeting. "It's good to be the boss," he muttered with a slight smirk on his face. "I have the freedom of doing whatever I want, whenever I want." The young man chuckled in amusement.
Having already placed the remote back where it belongs, Carter wonders if power and authority have their pros and cons. "Even though I have power, I'm not the one who actually makes the decisions," he said, sighing tiredly as he leaned his back against the chair. "That's why I can't always go and do whatever I want," he stated with a frown on his face.
It's true that with superior intellect and immense understanding of the human mind, he could easily manipulate others to do his bidding with his words alone. "But sometimes," he began as he stared at the ceiling from above, "I wonder if what I'm doing is right." His tone was uncertain, and his expression was filled with worry: "Am I really making a difference, or is everything just a fluke?"
Doubt of living up to his parent's expectations in becoming a good man, his own doubts and insecurities are slowly taking over his thoughts. The young man felt powerless, wondering if there was anything else he could do to improve himself and the world around him. "What am I even doing with my life?"
Shaking his head to starve of these troubling thoughts, he got up with a sigh. "Perhaps I just need to go home and take a breather," he said to himself in an attempt to ease his own anxiety. "Yes, that's it." His voice was calm and composed. "I just need some rest," concluding with a small smile on his face.
As he reached the door, however, something else entered his mind: "cigarette." stating under his breath from the realization, "I need a cigar," he murmured with a frown before turning around, "hopefully, there is at least one pack in one of the cabinets at my desk."
Walking to his desk, he began searching for a cigarette pack. He rummaged through all of the drawers in his desk but couldn't find any. "Where the hell is it?" Carter asked, irritated at the fact that he couldn't find his pack, "I know I had a pack somewhere in here." Disbelief was beginning to take hold of him.
But his despair turned to relief when he finally found one lone pack of cigarettes lying on the ground next to his desk. "Good riddance." Grabbing the pack, he then put it in one of his pockets. "Now hopefully, there is a lighter here somewhere," the young man mumbled to himself before opening one of the drawers once more, searching through all of it.
Then his luck came once again as Carter found a lighter in one of his drawers. "Great," he said with a smile on his face, "I am not sure if my powers were the cause of this or what not, but I'm glad I still have my cigars with me." Taking a deep breath and exhaling, "it's good to have my cigars back with me," his voice was filled with delight.
Even though he was reborn into a different life, his addiction and love for smoking a blunt or two are still here. "I know I shouldn't be smoking," Carter stated in a solemn tone. "I know that it's bad for my health, but," the young man took a deep breath and exhaled, "I just can't seem to quit," he confessed with a sigh, "and besides, it helps me clear my mind and focus," he defended himself.
Shaking his head again, the commissioner walked out of the conference room, leaving behind the empty room that he once occupied and allowing himself to breathe a sigh of relief from the meeting that seemingly lasted forever. It's a good thing he's gotten used to it by now. "Well, at least it's over," he said to himself in a low voice as he closed the door from behind.
Carter walked down the empty hallway, where both scientists and employers alike had already gone home, and asked, "Wonder where Yumi is?" He couldn't help but wonder, "I hope she hasn't gotten herself into any trouble," hoping she hadn't done anything stupid or anything that would cause any harm towards others or herself, "she's probably just wandering around, exploring the...place?"
He was a little shocked to see her standing in the same spot and posing, having never moved for a couple of hours straight. "How long has she been there like that?" He doesn't understand the girl's behavior. "I know she's loyal and dedicated to me, but this is getting ridiculous," Carter quietly said to himself as he casually approached her.
"It's like she's a robot or something."
Noticing her master approaching her, she smiled brightly before unexpectedly sprinting towards him with arms stretched, "master~!" Yumi cried out in joy as she hugged him tightly. "I missed you so much," she cooed, snuggling her head against his neck. "I'm glad you're back," she whispered while nuzzling her nose his cheek.
"Yumi," he replied, his tone calm and composed, "I'm glad you didn't do anything stupid while I was gone," chuckling lightly before gently patting her on the back, "anyways, could you get off me?" Politely asking the girl to release him from her hold, he said, "We can go home without you having to do this every time, you know?"
"But master," she whined, reluctantly letting go, "I just want to make sure you're safe." Her expression was filled with sadness and sorrow. "I just don't want you to be hurt or anything," the girl confessed as her eyes watered with tears. "Pretty please?"
Carter sighed in pure exhaustion: "Just this once, okay? Let me go; you can walk right next to me as I am capable of walking by myself," he said with a stern voice. "Please, don't make this any harder for me than it already is," expressing his tiredness from her antics.
Yumi nodded with a smile. "Okay," the girl agreed, releasing him from her hold. "But just this once," she stated in a stern voice, "next time, I will not let you go." Her tone was firm, and her eyes showed nothing but seriousness in this matter.
"Thank you," he replied with a smile on his face before taking a deep breath and exhaling, "now we head back home, I'm super tired." His voice was filled with weariness and exhaustion. "All I want to do right now is sleep in my bed," the young man said with a sigh.
"I understand," Yumi said in an understanding tone. "I'm sorry for making you do this, master," she apologized, bowing her head in shame. "I'm just worried about your safety," the girl admitted with a sad expression. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you, master," she confessed, looking around the empty place to see if any threats were nearby.
"It's fine," he reassured her with a smile. "I know you're worried about me, but there's no need for that." His voice was calm and collected. "You shouldn't be worrying about me all the time," Carter stated in an obvious tone before yawning. "I'm just fine, and nothing bad is going to happen to me," he told her. "So you shouldn't be worrying about anything like that."
His maid hummed in response. "Okay," she muttered quietly as the two began their way out by entering the elevator first, descending down to the very first floor. As they stood side by side in complete silence, not even a single word was exchanged between them during the entire time.
Once they arrived on the first floor, Carter and Yumi stepped out of the elevator, walking through the empty halls as the two made their way towards the exit of this building, seeing the morning having already vanished, replaced with a starry night sky and bright moon, illuminating the entire area with its beautiful radiance.
"Beautiful," Carter couldn't help but say to himself, admiring the night sky before taking a deep breath and exhaling. "There's no place like home," he muttered as he walked alongside her, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere between them. "I just hope nothing bad will happen during my sleep," he whispered under his breath as they began their walk back home.
