I felt a bitter taste in my mouth when I returned to the place I killed Cat. Was this really my best option? It looked different in daylight. I did not knock on the door. It was locked, but nothing I could not handle. Masks and black gowns were lying on the floor, I grinned at the thought of me being scared of these just a few years ago. 

"ARE YOU GOING TO EMPLOY ME OR WHAT?", I screamed. My voice echoed, I could hear sleepy voices and moans from somewhere. I sat down on the floor, examining the old-man-mask I remembered too well from that night. A woman in a short dress greeted me shortly.

Her hair was messy, she had just woken up. "Shout one more time and I kill you.", she hissed. She touched her forehead as if she had a mild headache. "Do you have any work experience?"

She examined me from head to toe. "Of course not.", she sighed.

"An elf. Exotic.", she stepped closer to grab my arm and feel out my muscles. My gun was aimed at her before she even touched me, but it did not stop her. When she noticed the gun she said: "Put that away."

She lifted my chin to examine my scars. "I think I remember you."

She stepped back, smiling welcomingly. "You're a child of Hades. The one that killed her friend. Most children would not have it in them to do that."

I shrugged. "I did not notice you were an elf. You're actually a very promising candidate."

"When can I start?", I demanded.

She chuckled and finally lifted her hand from my chin. "You have already started, my dear."

Her eyes watched for my reaction, staring me down until I looked away. Visibly satisfied, she continued: "I will give you the location to your new home."

My techdevice buzzed in my pocket. "I know this will seem strange to you, but we do not allow our younger workers to just come and go as they please. First, you must prove yourself, then you get outdoor privileges. After all, we would not want our little protegee to get hurt."

Her hand clutched onto my wrist, cold metal wrapped around it. "If you changed your mind about working for us now, that would be too bad. We do not like disloyalty.", she looked at my new wristband like it was an electric-shock-collar for her new pet. 

"There will be lots and lots of rewards, but you have to be a good girl to earn them."

I stared at the wristband. It would probably explode if I tried to disable it. I would scan it the moment I left. 

"Hush, hush now. You are running out of time."

I teleported into the Hubris. When I scanned my wristband my suspicions were confirmed. I was carrying a small bomb with me and I did not have any control over when it detonates. The timer gave me less than five minutes. Reaching the location that woman had given me would take about four minutes. I sighed as I activated the autopilot. What a life.

I was received by a very big bold guy. I suppose the Keres-sisters did not mind using male muscle when it was convenient for them. It's cheaper than robots. 

The guy led me into a construction site, the walls were build up high enough to keep out unwanted visitors. "I don't know how to deactivate that thing.", he pointed at my wrist. We were standing on a scaffold, and he gestured me to wait as he went into a room that looked much nicer than any other part of the building. I scanned the wristband to find I had less than thirty seconds left. Was this the right moment to pray to a higher power, perhaps?

My savior arrived in the form of a well-dressed woman, walking quickly towards me. She touched my wristband with a key. It did not pop open as I had hoped, but the bomb was presumably disabled for now. "Precautions.", she smiled. "I am sure you understand."

I smiled right back at her, concealing my fear masterfully. "You are going to live down there if you survive today.", she pointed at the floor inside the construction, several hundred meters beneath us. "Your safeguard has released nanobots into your bloodstream by now, so don't do anything you might not have the time to regret."

My smile didn't give in to her threats, persisting. "I have sent you the details of your first contract. You won't have to fly there, in fact, you will not fly anywhere for a long time.", she nodded demandingly.

"After you kill your first target, you will get credits that you can use to buy equipment from our supplier."

I made the mistake of looking down, my head started spinning. I closed my eyes and imagined I was back at the twisted tree with Ribbit. 

"I hope you recognize how lucky you are.", the woman insisted. "Once you prove yourself, the keres-sisters will be your family and we will grant you a chance for limitless career opportunities."