Chapter 60: The Price of Mercy 2

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: The Price of Mercy 2

*The meeting continues*

Director Harlan Reed, External Operations, finally cut in. "Let’s separate the issues before this gets out of hand. First: Cruz is back in a cell, and fixing the flaws that let her out is our immediate job. Second: whether she stays in deep lockdown or enters the rehabilitation program is a completely different talk."

​"Agreed," said Director Sofia Maren from Legal Affairs. "One security slip shouldn’t destroy the whole program."

​"Unless the program itself is creating that danger," Corvin said.

​"Then we judge that danger on its own facts," Sofia answered simply.

​Director Victor Lang from Hero Deployment dropped a folder onto the table. "We have field data worth looking at. Seraphina Veyr took part in a recent S-rank gate run. Her combat help was huge."

​Corvin’s face remained frozen. "The same Seraphina who almost killed twenty-two heroes."

​"Yes."

​"And you’re calling that a reason to keep her alive?"

​"No," Victor said flatly. "I’m saying the problem is bigger than a simple yes or no." He flipped a page. "Five critically wounded heroes made full recoveries afterward."

​"Because of Felix."

​"Yes. Which is why we need to talk about what our choices actually mean, instead of pretending the fix is easy."

​Elena continued. "We rushed her into field duties, her trigger went off, and she lost control."

​"And if she loses control again?" Corvin pressed. "What if she actually kills someone this time?"

​"Then we adjust, and we deal with the fallout when it happens," Elena said evenly.

​

​Corvin’s jaw tightened. "And you still think she can be fixed."

​"I think finding that out is the whole reason the program exists."

​"Which is why the therapist needs real control," Sofia pointed out.

​"Control," Corvin repeated, disgusted.

​"If every regional boss can cancel a therapist’s call whenever they get upset, the program is pointless."

​Director Daniel Roth leaned forward. "There’s also his contract to consider. When Felix Valerius took charge of the five inmates, his contract gave him total control over care, drills, field runs, all of it."

​"Contracts can be changed," Corvin said.

​"It’s not that simple," Elena said.

​"Why not?"

​Her eyes went cold. "Because the therapist is Felix Valerius."

​Everyone in the room knew what it carried.

​Harlan leaned back in his chair. "He isn’t an ordinary worker."

​"He’s an Ultra proficient healer," Sofia noted. "One of only four alive."

​"And he fights at S-rank level."

​Elena gave a small nod.

​"And he’s a Valerius," Victor added quietly.

​"I know his name," Corvin snapped.

​"Then you know the problem."

​Corvin leaned in, eyes hard. "The Association was here before Felix Valerius. It will be here after him."

​"Maybe," Elena said. "Whether he stays with us is a different question."

​Silence settled over the table. Sofia finally broke it. "How much power does he actually have right now?"

​"Total field control over the program."

​"And you’re fine with that?" Corvin asked.

​"No." That caught several people off guard. "I fought against giving him that much rope. I lost."

​"Then why did leadership give in?"

​"Because the other choice was watching him walk out the door. And because his results have been impossible to ignore."

​Corvin slid another file across the table.

"Results? Seraphina put twenty-two heroes in the dirt."

​"And all twenty-two are breathing today because Felix put them back together." Elena tapped her fingers on the glass. "You want to pull the only man who can undo deadly mistakes from a unit of killers. You think that makes us safer? I think it does the exact opposite."

​"From a defense angle," Marcus added, "he’s also our best weapon if things go wrong and we have to put someone down."

​Corvin stared at him, bewildered. "You want to keep monsters around just because we have a doctor who can clean up the blood?"

​"No," Marcus answered coldly. "I’m saying this isn’t just execute or save. Pretending it’s that simple helps nobody here."

​Director Miriam Vale from Medical Operations spoke next. "There’s another point we’re ignoring. Felix’s healing has changed what these patients mean to us medically."

​Corvin let out an annoyed breath. "They’re killers."

​"They’re awakened people," she countered.

"Some carry powers we don’t even understand yet." She checked her notes. "If he fixes even one of them, the Association gets an elite fighter built for high-tier rifts."

​"And if an inmate kills someone?"

​"Then we look into whether it was bad luck, careless work, or a broken rule, just like we do with any other hero."

​"You’re turning dead people into numbers."

​"No," Miriam said, looking him dead in the eyes. "We’re trying to keep more people from dying in the first place."

​The room went quiet again.

​Corvin’s tone turned dangerously quiet as he leaned back. "I want Cruz executed. Tell me who has the authority to make that happen."

​"That rests strictly with the judicial tribunal and the high council," Elena said flatly. "If they rule for execution, we follow lawful procedure."

​"Fine," Corvin said, looking back at the papers on the table. "Then I want hard limits on their freedom. Right now, they’re walking into S-rank gates, receiving gifts from the outside, and getting way too comfortable with the facility staff."

​Elena didn’t blink. "They don’t have open freedom. Every gate deployment has handlers on site, Felix personally clears any items brought in, and building basic human rapport is literally how rehabilitation works."

​"And what happens when those bonds turn into leverage against us?" Corvin leaned over the table, his eyes narrowing into cold slits.

​Elena took a slow, steady breath. "Then Felix handles it."

​Corvin let out a dry, nasty laugh. "You actually trust him that much?"

​Elena paused, meeting his glare. "I trust him enough to know this: if we jump into his work without understanding what he’s doing, we will make things worse."

​She sat up straight. "If any of you really think you can walk into his ward, strip his rights, take away his patients’ things, tell him how to treat them, and expect him to sit there and take it—"

she stopped for a beat "—go right ahead. Just don’t come crying to this board when everything falls apart."

​Nobody moved. Even Corvin stayed quiet.

​Elena looked down at the files one last time.

"We already learned one lesson the hard way. Felix Valerius doesn’t bluff. He will walk away."

​The quiet stretched on.

​"And knowing what he can do," she said softly, "we should think very hard before giving him a reason to leave."

​​The talks lasted until dawn, but the underlying truth was impossible to ignore. This wasn’t just a dispute over five high-risk inmates. It was a calculated test of how far they could test the patience of the only man they couldn’t afford to lose.