The warehouse is silent except for the low hum of fluorescent lights and your own heartbeat thudding in your ears. You and Harcourt stand over a trembling civilian—hands tied, terrified, confused. The poor guy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. A witness who saw too much.

Your comm crackles with Amanda Waller’s cold voice:

“Put him down. Loose ends don’t stay loose.”

Your stomach drops. “He didn’t do anything.”

Harcourt raises her gun—steady hands, steady breath. She’s the perfect operative. She always follows orders.

But this time…

She doesn’t fire.

She doesn’t move.

Her jaw tightens, and you see something flicker across her face—conflict. Real, sharp, human conflict.

You whisper, “Emilia… don’t.”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Waller snaps over comms.

Harcourt’s finger rests on the trigger.

But she doesn’t pull it.

The civilian whimpers. “Please… I have a family.”

You step forward. “Waller, this isn’t necessary—”

“This is not a debate,” Waller growls. “Harcourt. Do. It.”

Harcourt still doesn’t move.

The silence between you stretches until it feels ready to crack.

Then Harcourt murmurs, barely loud enough for you to hear:

“…He’s innocent.”

The softness in her voice hits harder than any gunshot ever could.

You swallow. “Then don’t follow the order.”

She turns her head slightly toward you, eyes full of something you’ve never seen in her—fear. Not for herself. For you.

“You don’t understand,” she whispers. “If I refuse, it won’t just be my career. Waller will come after both of us.”

“I don’t care.”

“I do.”

Your breath catches.

She lowers the gun a fraction. “If we defy her, we have to do it together.” A pause. “I won’t let her punish you alone.”